Super Complicated
by Whisperingwater
Summary: Kara Kent always thought Barry Allen was her soulmate. But a sudden breakup pushes her right into the arms of her very own 'Kai Parker'. But there's a catch! Mike Matthews just happens to be Barry's 'cousin from hell', which does make things super complicated. [Karamel with a hint of SuperFlash] (Alternate Universe)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** All the characters belong to DC Comics. The characterization is based off CW Supergirl and CW The Flash and DCEU. No copyright infringement intended.

 **Alrighty! My very first Karamel/SuperFlash fanfic. The reason why I'm mentioning both the ships is because you will see both in this. But Karamel is... I probably shouldn't give away too much.**

 ** _But what I can give away is:_ This is an AU. No Superheroes. No Aliens. Certainly no Capes... And Kara is Kara Kent in this story, which makes Clark her big bro! I love Superman. Simply love him. And Mon-El will be Mike Matthews here.**

Without giving away too much, since I did share A LOT of sneak peeks with my friends WAY before I posted this, let's move on to the story!

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Super Complicated**

 **Chapter 1**

On a pleasant summer morning, a beautiful blonde was taking a leisure stroll with her best friend downtown. Both the girls were holding tall Slurpees in hands and talking about their upcoming vacation.

"I'm thinking of inviting Winn," Kara Kent said to her friend, Donna Prince.

Donna nodded in approval. "I'll take Winn over your grumpy boyfriend any day!" She rolled her eyes at Kara and chuckled.

"Hey! Barry isn't bad! I don't understand why you two don't get along." Kara pouted. She hated it when her best friend and boyfriend argued all the time.

"Kara, I've known him for fifteen years, and he's never said anything polite to me. Like, ever!"

"That's because you punched him in second grade. And he was in fourth! You know how humiliated he was?"

"Stop taking sides!" Donna groaned and came to a sudden stop when she saw _him_ walking towards them.

Kara eyes shifted from her friend and fell on Barry, who was walking towards her with a charming smile on his face. _Work's over_ , Kara thought and her face lit up as she pushed her Slurpee into Donna's hand and ran towards Barry.

Barry laughed and caught her just as she jumped to give him a hug. He held her close, breathing in her scent. Placing a gentle kiss on her head, he pulled away.

"Hey baby, I've great news!" Barry said with a big smile on his face.

"Hi." She grinned before pulling his face down to give him a quick peck. "What's up?"

"So… you know I went to this Forensic conference in New York?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Kara asked slightly tilting her head to one side. Donna had reached them, but both Barry and Donna didn't bother acknowledging each other's presence.

Barry finally sighed and looked at Donna. She rolled her eyes at him and asked, "Want me to turn around so you can share your little secret?"

"Please."

"Kara, I'll be back in five minutes, okay?" Donna pointed towards a store and walked away, without waiting to see Kara's distracted nod.

When they were alone, Barry spoke, "I got offered a job in New York."

Kara's smile fell. "What?"

"Yeah!" Barry grinned. "Amazing, right?"

"But I thought you liked to work here. Barry, isn't this a big move?"

"That's why I want you to come with me!" He grabbed her hand in his and pulled it closer to his chest. "You've just graduated, I know. But think about it. New York, baby!"

"I start my internship in two weeks at The Daily Planet. Seattle is home, Barry. How can you just ask me to leave with you?"

Barry's smile faded. Frowning, he asked, "What do you want to do then? Because I'm leaving, Kara; I need to start thinking about my career. And I'm sure any newspaper will be happy to hire you in New York."

Kara could feel the tears pooling in her eyes, but none escaped. Pulling her hand away, she stepped back. "Then where does this leave us, Bar? You are going to the other side of the country. Long distance relationships are complicated."

"Any relationship is complicated, Kara. Even ours is. You can make it easy by just coming with me to New York! But no, you have to argue with me about _every_ single thing. Even the smallest things!"

"Donna was right about you. You _are_ a jerk! All you care about is yourself! And _I_ argue with you? You don't care about my life here. _My career._ One day I will be running The Daily Planet with Clark. So sorry if I don't feel like uprooting my whole life for you. I can't just leave my family and friends."

Barry's eyes narrowed at her. And in a low voice, he asked, "So you are saying you are not coming along?"

"Yes. Exactly that!"

"Fine. So you stay right here and forget about me and our relationship! We are over, Kara!" Barry turned around and walked away.

But Kara grabbed his arm and made him turn around. "We are NOT done till I tell we are done, Barry Allen!" she yelled before stomping on his foot, making him yelp and curse. "WE. ARE. DONE!"

Kara turned around and stalked off to join Donna who was standing on the other side of the road. Donna pulled her into a hug as Kara sobbed on her shoulder, she kept glaring at Barry before catching a cab for them.

"Let's take you home," Donna said, as she was about to give the cabbie the address.

Kara grabbed her arm and shook her head. "No. I'm not going home. You said something about that new bar that opened in downtown, right? Let's go there."

"Kara, I don't think you should be drinking right now."

"Please, Doe! Please. I just want to clear my mind."

Donna let out a sigh and gave the cabbie the address. It took the girls more than twenty minutes to reach the place. She had texted her other best friend Winn to be there. If someone could handle Kara when she was down, then it had to be Winn.

* * *

As promised, Winn Schott was waiting inside nursing a glass of vodka and coke. The minute his eyes fell on Kara, he assumed the worst.

"Did your fish die again?" he asked Kara, who rubbed her puffy red eyes and pouted. He pulled her into a hug and patted her head. "What happened?" he asked Donna, who took a seat and finished his vodka and coke in one big gulp. "Hey! Mine!"

Donna ignored Winn's protest and answered, "Barry broke up with her."

"NO!" Kara shouted. "I broke up with him! ME!"

"Okay, calm down," Winn cooed as if talking to a small child. She was still hugging him, sobbing and getting his shirt wet. "What's done is done. Now we celebrate your singlehood. It's great that the third Musketeer is single again!"

Donna rolled her eyes at that. She met Kara and Winn when they were in first grade. Winn had been crying for his mommy. Her mother hadn't really taken an interest in her childhood, but Winn's mom did, so Donna knew why he loved his mother so much. She had given him a candy on the very first day; they had been best friends ever since. As for Kara, she was their sunshine. The girl brightened their dull lives in seconds. And since then, Winn had nicknamed them 'The Three Musketeers'.

"But I wuv him!" Kara sobbed in Winn's chest.

"I know, Kare Bear! I know. But sometimes it's just better to let go." Winn's eyes fell on Donna, who was busy flirting with some dude. He sighed and helped Kara sit down. "Now what will you like to drink?"

"Tequila shots," Kara muttered.

The bartender gave her a big smile and poured her the shots.

Donna, who had just returned from talking to the stranger, spoke, "Remember: Lick, Sip, Suck!"

Kara giggled as both her and Winn did shots. And soon, they were laughing over Kara's fish, Winn's broken shoelace and Donna's weird choice in men.

When Winn's eyes suddenly fell on some creep brushing against Donna in the middle of the dance floor, he pushed his shot glass away and ran to her side. One glare at the man, and the creep scurried off. Winn pulled Donna into his arms. She gave him a weird look before shrugging and starting to sway to the music.

Kara was about to order a glass of rum and coke when a hand shot up and caught hers. She turned to see who it was.

"Hey! You two look hot," she blurted and giggled.

"Two of us?" the man asked, looking at either side before turning towards her. "There's just me, sweetheart, and you are drunk. You should stop."

"Who are you to tell me?" Kara groaned and turned to order her drink. But the guy interrupted again. "Just a glass of water, please," he said to the bartender.

"What's your problem?" Kara asked as he took the glass and handed it over to her. Thinking it was her drink, she finished it quickly. Two more glasses, she was sobering up. But only a little.

"You should go home," the stranger said. "I've been watching you for the last twenty minutes and you seem upset. Go home."

Kara's eyes narrowed at him and she moved closer. Before he knew it, her nose was touching his. "Kai? Kai Parker? You are out of hell?" she asked before her lips crushed over his.

* * *

 **A/N Part 2:** Hola! I know a lot of you might be wondering "Why is Barry such a jerk?" Because plot line, people! :D I've loved Flash since I was 10, so there's no way he's EVER going to be a bad guy in my story. But we all have moments. This was Barry's. And what is Kai Parker doing in Supergirl/Flash universe? Just wait and watch! ;) And yes, Donna is the very same Donna, Diana's little sister. Just imagine Alexandra Daddario if you wanna see a face in mind. And my dear Supes in this story is based on Henry Cavill, not Tyler Hoechlin. :)

I really hope you liked this. Do let me know what you think.

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated! Please share with your Karamel friends. Spread love! :)**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Back again with a new update! Thank you, SamanthaJaynex, Ricky Pine, emara32, amber and Guest for reading and leaving a review.

 **SamanthaJaynex** \- Thank you! :) Fingers crossed.

 **Ricky Pine** \- "Epically messed-up romance." You got it right, Ricky! :D Yup. the whole Dark Side sounds fun for some weird reason.

 **Guest** \- Thank you!

 **emara32** \- Thanks! :D It will be interesting when she finally realizes who he is.

 **amber** \- Haha! Thanks!

On with a new chapter, folks. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Kara moaned against the stranger's lips, she bit on his lower lip and he opened his mouth with a small gasp. But before she could deepen the kiss, he pulled away and said, "Okay, Blondie! I don't know who this Kai dude is. But you are one helluva kisser! And I'm SERIOUS, go home!"

Kara started giggling. "He-he, you are funny. You can't be Sirius. Maybe James. Or even… no. You are Kai. Straight from hell!"

The man smirked. This girl was getting more interesting with every passing minute. "You here with someone? Tell them you are going home, I'll take you."

"But, Kai…" Kara moaned. "I don't wanna go home. I wanna see where you live! Take me!"

The guy tapped her cheek twice. "Are you sober? I don't wanna take advantage of you!"

"Sweet Kai, I'm the one taking advantage!" Kara smirked.

"Well, I like that. Hope this Kai dude doesn't mind."

"Why would you mind? Hold on, I'm gonna go tell my friends I'm leaving. Don't go anywhere!" Kara patted his chest before swaying towards the dance floor. The man or _'Kai'_ as she loved calling him was by her side in a second, grabbing her.

Kara gave him a big smile before patting the shoulder of a brunette. _Kai_ noticed her talking to the brunette and another man, who was dancing with her. Both of them hugged her and told her to take care.

Kara grinned and turned towards Kai when she heard Winn say, "Take care! See you tomorrow. Love ya!"

"Love you too!" Kara shouted back and went to join the stranger.

He raised a single brow. "He's not your boyfriend, is he?"

"No! That jerk dumped me. That's my best friend," Kara said with a small frown. "Come on, Kai. Take me home!"

"If you say so, darling!" the man grinned before holding his hand out for her. He led her out through the rear exit.

"Where do you live?" Kara asked, holding his hand tightly.

"It's a five minute walk. I'm staying at the hotel across the street," he replied.

"Why a hotel? Hey wait! I can't walk!"

"Why not?"

"Carry me," she said, holding her arms out for him, with a small pout.

He let out a loud sigh. He really wanted her, but this was getting a bit crazy. "Fine!" he knelt down and said, "Hop on!"

"Piggyback? Oooh! I haven't done this in ages!" She giggled before climbing and resting her head against his shoulder.

He smiled and started walking. "I'm new in town. And my apartment has some plumbing issues so I have to stay at the hotel. Are you from around here?"

"Uh-huh! Is it hot where you come from?" she asked curiously. Winn always told her that Hell is the hottest place.

"Sure! During summers. But then when you live by the beach, you don't worry about catching too much sun."

"Hell has beaches?" she whispered.

The man chose to ignore that. He had no clue why she kept calling LA _Hell_. Maybe she was the kind of person who gave people and things nicknames. No wonder she called him Kai. _She must love him_ , he thought. _Whoever this Kai dude is, he's damn lucky!_

When they reached the hotel, he simply carried her over to the elevator. When he helped her down and pressed the button to the 20th floor, Kara's eyes widened.

As the lift went up a floor, she said, "Ding." And that went on for five floors before it came to a stop and a gentleman stepped in. He greeted the young duo with a smile.

Kara gave him a big smile and was about to say 'Ding' again when Kai covered her mouth with his hand. The ride to 20th floor was short and he was pulling her out before she blurted anything else.

"Hey! Are you really sober? Coz I ain't doing this if you aren't."

"I am," she said quickly. "Is this where you live now, Kai? Isn't Seattle too cold for you?"

"I'm okay, baby," he replied with a smile before pushing the door open. She walked in and looked around appreciatively. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked, heading towards the minibar.

"I need to pee," Kara said, suddenly remembering she had forgotten something.

"It's the door to your left," he said, pointing towards it before turning around to pour himself some soda.

She nodded and walked away. Once she left, he leaned against the desk and sighed. _What was he doing?!_ The girl would probably forget what happened the next day. But she was cute. And he wanted her. Badly.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she had let her long, blonde hair loose and had taken off her glasses.

"You won't be using any magic, right?" she muttered as he made his way towards her.

"Sure, babe. Some magic to make you feel better!" And with that he pushed her against the wall and his lips crashed over hers in a passionate fury. She was ripping his shirt off as he ravished her lips and neck.

She cried out as he sucked on a sweet spot on her neck that set her on fire. He stepped away after kissing her lips again. Helping her out of her clothes in a hurry.

Kara grabbed his face and pulled him closer for another kiss. "Kai," she moaned when he pulled away.

"It's okay, darling. Let me take care of you!" He lifted her in his arms and put her on the bed before climbing over her.

He leaned down to kiss her lips before moving down to kiss her neck. She gasped when she felt him trail small kisses over the valley of her breasts. He was gentle but also totally in control. Now she knew just why she had been crushing over this devil for ages!

He looked up at her before reaching his hand down to touch her. She gasped at his touch and her hold on his shoulders tightened. He smirked before moving lower.

* * *

The next morning, Kara groaned when the sunlight streamed into the room through the glass windows. She opened one irate eye and was about to call her mother to not open the damn curtains but suddenly realized this was not her room. _This was not her room!_

Kara gasped and sat up, her head pounding just like the stupid drums Winn loved playing. Just then she noticed her current state of nakedness as the sheet slid down. Kara's eyes widened. She feared the worst. Turning towards her left, she saw a mop of dark hair over the pillow. Kara was suddenly scared. This wasn't Barry. Barry didn't have bulging muscles! Barry didn't live in a hotel!

 _Who the hell was this man?_

Kara got up and kneeled on the bed, gently lifting the sheet off his face. She gasped when she saw who it was and suddenly the memory of last night's events hit her like a train.

 _Kai. Damn it!_

Curious, Kara lifted the sheet more and her eyes widened when she saw he was naked too. Letting go off the sheet, she stood up and scanned the room and found her clothes scattered on the floor. Putting them on in a hurry, she rushed out of the door. She glanced at him one last time. She knew very well she would never be seeing him again.

And she always wanted to be Cinderella and leave before the time was up. But Kai Parker couldn't be her Prince Charming, could he? Shaking her head, she left the room.

* * *

Kara took a cab straight to Winn's place. She wasn't surprised when Donna opened the door, arms crossed across her chest with a small frown.

"Where the hell were you last night?"

Kara shrugged. "Long, crazy story, Doe. Where's Winn?"

"Still sleeping."

"You guys slept to—"

Donna shook her head. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Kent! We were both worried sick. Looked around for you for hours! Your mother called! Had to pretend you stayed at my place."

"Thank you, I owe you one!" Kara headed straight to the restroom to freshen up. When she came back, she saw Winn pacing the room and Donna making coffee for them.

Winn's eyes fell on Kara and he let out a relieved sigh before pulling her into a tight embrace. "What the hell, Kare Bear? Where did you go?"

"You won't believe me if I tell you!" Kara took the mug of steaming coffee from Donna, who gave her a look that clearly said, _'Try me, darling!'_

"I slept with Kai Parker!" Kara blurted out.

Winn spit his coffee, and Donna chuckled. "And I slept with Deadpool!"

* * *

 **A/N Part 2:** Howdy!

Before it gets all weird, let me just say: yes, Kara was sober enough to consent. Yes, the Kai dude was polite and careful enough to ask her not once but twice. No, the Kai dude is not a bad guy.

Okay, sorted! XD Moving on with the good things, which is a very polite way of saying I'm gonna answer your questions (that I actually got in my messages.)

 **Who is Kai?** Well, the story has three main leads. Kara, Barry and Mike. You take a pick. ;)

 **Will Donna and Winn ever get together?** Now that's a great question! Wait, you really wanted me to answer that? GUYS! Not fair!

 **Why isn't Clark here yet?** YES! Whoever asked that, you are awesome! So you obviously _know me_ know me to have asked that question since Supes/Clark is my most fav comic character. Clark is in the next chapter. And he's awesome as always.

 _Special question since I can read minds._ **Why wasn't Barry in this chapter?** In his original universe, he runs around and screws up timelines, which isn't that bad coz he's pretty apologetic about it. Same with this story, he will keep running away and coming back.

FAQ - **When's the next update?** _Saturdays_. Every Saturday you can expect to see an update. :)

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Ricky, Samantha, you guys rock!

 **SamanthaJaynex** \- I'm glad you liked it! :D Yup, Saturdays have become a thing now.

 **Ricky Pine** \- I knew you would like that! XD And that's gonna happen too! RedKai!

Thanks everyone for reading this. I noticed how the whole category made the story a bit hard to reach, so it's back on Supergirl list. Sadly, no Barry Allen is added as a character. But he's just as important as Kara and Mike (Mon-El) in this story.

So cheers! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

"DEADPOOL? No way!" Winn cried before keeping his mug away. One more revelation from these girls, and he knew the coffee would be on the floor or on their clothes instead of in the mug for him to drink.

Donna sighed and rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm joking, stupid! Just like Kara is!"

Kara shook her head quickly; her blonde locks flying in every direction. "I swear it's not a joke! He looked _just_ like Kai Parker."

"It couldn't be the actor who plays Kai, right?" Winn asked out of curiosity.

"Was it good?" Donna blurted out. When she saw Kara's face reddening, she grabbed her hand and pulled her into Winn's room. "Winn, stay out for 2 minutes!"

"Fine!" her friend grumbled as she closed the door behind her.

"Kara, are you alright? This guy didn't force you, did he?" Donna asked in concern. If this man had forced their sunshine, she would hunt him down and rip him apart with her bare hands.

Kara blushed and shook her head. "He was gentle. At least the first time. Second time was so… exhilarating! Like a rollercoaster, that just kept going up, up, up! And so different, Doe. Barry has never been like that!"

"Are you seriously comparing Barry with this Kai wannabe?"

"Maybe there's no comparison. He was damn good! Careful, gentle and attentive. You know when we… we were done… I thought maybe he would ask me to leave or something. I was NOT expecting what he was planning."

"Do I have to kill him?" Donna asked quickly. When Kara simply giggled, she let out a loud sigh. "Continue."

"We… Oh God! Doe, this is so embarrassing!" Kara covered her face with her hands. When she finally dropped them, she bit her lower lip before saying, "He cleaned me up… afterwards. And then he placed a warm towel there. It felt so good, almost soothing!"

Donna smiled. "Kare Bear, you just had great sex! And the guy doesn't seem bad at all. Did you at least get his number?"

"Nooo! I ran away before he woke up. I know, I know. Should have stayed. Got his number. But I probably will never meet him again. It was good while it lasted. We cuddled. And he let me be the big spoon for five minutes before we shifted back to him spooning me. It hasn't felt sooo good in a long, long time, Doe."

"Well, I'm really glad to hear that. It's a pity you didn't get his number." When Donna heard Winn knock on the door, she shouted, "Come in, Monkey!"

Winn opened the door and his head came into view. He was glad the girls weren't fighting or crying; smiling, he asked, "Breakfast?"

Donna shook her head. "I'm so tired. We can have brunch later. See you Sunshines later."

Donna pushed Kara and Winn out of the door. "Take Kara home, Winn. Taxi isn't a good idea, not with how she's looking."

"I thought I looked okay," Kara said, running to check herself in the mirror.

"You look fine," Winn said. "There's a little glow on your face, but that's it. Alrighty, I'm taking Kara home. See you, DoeDoe. I love you."

"Love you too, loser!" Donna blew him a kiss, which Winn pretended to catch and he placed it right over his heart. Donna grinned before waving them goodbye and heading back to the guest bedroom.

* * *

When Winn brought his car out, Kara got in with a big smile. "You, Goofus!" She gave him a mock-punch on his arm. Winn pretended to be hurt; he gave her a little pout. "I can't believe you still haven't told her, Winn!"

"What? Tell Donna that I've been in love with her since I was ten. And I realized that I loved her _after_ she shoved me into my locker? Yeah, right! She would kill me and then confess her feelings to my ghost!"

Kara burst out laughing. "Winn, you are so cute! You know you are Donna's type, right? Not those loser biker dudes with multiple tattoos she _pretends_ to like."

"Don't know, Kare Bear, I love what we have right now. It's not complicated."

"And there's that word again." Kara sighed. "Barry called our relationship complicated."

"It was, Kar. At least after you took him back. You and I both know he had changed. He was a totally new person."

"I hate that Cynthia Noodlehead!"

Winn chuckled. "Notoriano. Her name was Cynthia Notoriano. Not Noodlehead."

"But that's what she ate all the time. Pizzas and pastas! And she had a supermodel figure. Damn that brunette!"

"Yeah. Damn that brunette. And we are almost here," Winn called, pulling into the driveway.

"That was fast," Kara said before getting out. She walked in and waited for Winn to join her. Her mother was the one to open the door. As soon as Kara walked in, Martha pulled her into a big hug.

"Oh my baby, are you okay? You weren't picking up your phone so I called Winn and Donna. Donna told me you were sick. What happened?"

Kara looked at Winn for some help, who immediately threw his arm around his friend's shoulder after greeting Martha and said, "We were having nachos and Kara felt weird. She threw up and then fell asleep."

Kara looked at her mother who looked convinced with Winn's lie. She caressed her daughter head and asked them to join her for breakfast.

Winn happily nodded and followed Martha into the living room. Kara walked in and as soon as her eyes fell on the person sitting at the counter, reading the newspaper, her face lit up.

"Clarkie," Kara called with a big smile. Her brother looked up and gave her a bright smile of his own.

"Kare Bear! Welcome back." Clark stood up to give her a hug. He kissed her head and turned to greet Winn. "I hope you guys weren't drinking all night."

Winn froze. "Nachos!" he blurted out.

Clark smiled and shook his head. "I came home early this morning, you see, I was in London for the last three days. It's great to see you two."

Kara sat next to her brother and smiled happily. It wasn't often that he stopped by to have breakfast with them. But he always made sure he made time for his family. Like today, for instance.

When Kara felt someone pat her head, she turned around to see her dad. "You okay, princess?" Jonathan asked as she pulled him into a hug. He chuckled before asking, "Donna said you weren't well. What happened? Want me to call Doctor Richards?"

Kara waved it off. "No. No. I'm fine, Daddy. Nachos were funny last night." She saw Winn giving her a smile as he sipped his orange juice. But Clark's sharp eyes caught hers. _He knew!_

But instead of confirming his suspicions, Clark said, "Well, it's good that you are here, Sis. I've some big news to share."

"I can leave if you want!" Winn said in a hurry.

"Stay, honey, you are family," Martha said, patting his shoulder.

Winn nodded, smiled and sat back. Clark nodded, agreeing with his mother. "You are important too, Winn. Donna knows, but we asked her not to tell you till I told you two myself."

"What is it?" Kara asked in concern.

"Crinkle." Clark grinned before tapping her forehead playfully. "Anyway, when I said I was in London… Diana went there for work, I followed her. And last night, I proposed."

"What?" Kara spurted out.

"Congrats, man!" Winn cried happily. "This is such a wonderful news. By the way, do I need to wear a tux?"

"Yeah, yeah. You do." Clark grinned. "Kara, you happy?"

Kara looked up, tears in her eyes. Yes, she was happy for Clark. But the time he was off proposing—romantically, she assumed—to his girlfriend, she was busy getting drunk, crying over Barry and making out with Kai freaking Parker. She grabbed Clark's hand and nodded. "I am happy. So very happy, Clark!"

"Thank you." He smiled before leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "It was just as I planned." He looked up at Martha and gave her a big smile. "I called Mom before doing it."

"Where? Where did you propose?" Kara asked curiously.

"On top of the London Eye! Music, champagne, a beautiful full moon. And we were right on top! It felt so good!"

"Aww!" Kara cooed.

"So…" Martha began. "Jon and I have decided to throw Clark and Diana a nice engagement party at our farmhouse. How does that sound?"

"Wow! When?" Kara asked.

"This weekend. Saturday fine, honey?" Martha turned towards her son, who nodded happily. "It's a small party for just family and close friends. And Winn, honey, you don't have to wear a tux for the party."

Winn smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Mrs. Kent. I do have this nice jacket I bought for Donna's birthday, but I can just wear it for the party."

They had their breakfast talking more about the engagement and Kara's internship. While Kara was just going to intern there, Winn had landed a job as a Programmer at The Daily Planet. They were going to start in two weeks and they couldn't be more excited.

* * *

After breakfast, Kara was going to leave with Winn since they had to go and check up on Donna. And maybe even find her Kai Parker. Winn had agreed to help her out. She really regretted not getting his number.

But just as they were about to leave, the maid announced Barry's arrival. Kara's eye widened, and Winn scratched his head. There was no turning back.

"Do we run?" Winn asked quietly.

"Yeah, we run. RUN, WINN!" Kara cried before rushing towards the backdoor, Winn by her side. No, there was no way they were going to see Barry Allen today.

* * *

 **A/N Part Deux:** Sup, folks?

I really hope you are enjoying this story. And you asked for Clark and here he is. =] Sorry there's no Mike or even Barry in this chapter. I promise they return very very very soon!

I recently started posting a short story on Karamel. It's on my profile, do check it out - **Kara & Mon-El: Every Little Thing**

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

In the twenty-four years of his life, the one thing Barry Allen had learnt was not to screw around, and certainly not screw up a relationship. Because however complicated, there was always, always a way to work it out.

Like now, for instance, he stood outside Kara's door with a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. She loved wildflowers. He knew she would talk to him. There never went a day with Kara not wanting to talk to him, even when she was upset with him.

He rang the doorbell and heard someone open the door. Smiling, he walked in just to see Kara and Winn running out of the backdoor. Barry sighed and ran back out. If this was their great escape plan, they were in for a disappointment. She wasn't getting away from him that easy.

Kara and Winn had managed to sneak into the backyard without anyone noticing, or that's what they thought. Using the narrow passage that led towards the front of the house, Kara had turned to see if Winn was behind her, and she didn't noticed someone was right in front of her. She ran straight into Barry, and he caught her by her arms, steadying her.

Kara's eyes widened and then Winn was running into them.

"Winn! You okay?" Kara cried as she pushed Barry away to help her friend up.

Winn rubbed his head and nodded. When he saw Barry looking at him, wordlessly asking to give him a few minutes alone with Kara, Winn nodded and spoke, "Kara, I'm gonna wait in the car."

Kara pleaded with her eyes, but Winn knew just how important this was for her even if she wasn't ready to face it. Squeezing her hand gently, he walked away.

Barry waited till Winn left. When they were alone, he spoke, "Kara, you have no idea how sorry I am. I don't even know what came over me, baby. And I respect your decision to stay here. We can make this work. I'll visit you. You can visit me. I know we can do this."

Kara crossed her arms across her chest and sighed. She wasn't really expecting an apology. If it were any other time, she would have. But right now she felt guilty. She went off and slept with another man, the same day they broke up. Barry would never want her back if he ever found out. _More heartbreak_ , she thought.

"Barry, last evening was an eye-opener. For a very long time I kept making up these fantasies. That everything was perfect with us, but no, Barry. I know one day you will find someone else. And I just want you to know that I love you, I will always love you. But I think I love you enough to let you go."

"But I don't want to let you go! We were meant to be together forever."

Kara shook her head. "I think we were always meant to say goodbye, Barry. And today might just be that day."

"Stop doing this, Kara! You are hurting yourself. I can see it in your eyes! You are hurting me too." Barry placed his hands on her shoulders. "Please, baby. Don't give up on us. Don't go."

Kara slowly moved away from him. "I'm already gone, Barry. I think I was gone a long time ago, I never really realized it."

When she walked away, Barry couldn't stop her. She was gone too soon.

Kara walked out and got into the car without a word. When Winn started driving, Kara leaned her head against the window. She had assumed that he was taking her back to his place, but she was surprised when she saw he was pulling into the mall.

"Why are we here?" Kara asked when he stopped the car.

Winn simply pointed out the window. Kara narrowed her eyes to see who it was. Donna stood in front of the mall, chewing gum, checking out some guy.

"She says shopping is the best therapy!" Winn smiled and got out of the car. Kara followed him quietly.

When Donna saw them, she gave them a bright smile. "Kara, we need new dresses! Something small for me, mostly because there are lots of hot men on the guest list! And Winny, carry our bags, honey!"

Winn nodded and turned to look at Kara, who was already cheering up a bit. Donna turned to face her. "What do you feel like wearing? Fiery red or icy blue?"

If it were some other day, Kara would have happily chosen the blue to match her eyes. But now, she felt different. What the hell had Kai Parker done to her?

"Give me fire," she said with a wicked smile. Donna approved of this as she threw her arms around both her friends and started walking.

* * *

The trio had no idea how quickly one week passed. They were at the Kent's farmhouse now, Donna helping Winn with a new dark green tie she had bought for him. Surprisingly it matched her green lace cocktail dress. Winn smiled as she bit her lip, messing up once again.

They were in Kara's room, waiting for her to come out; she was busy getting ready. By the time Donna was done with Winn's tie, Kara stepped out of the walk-in closest nervously. Donna and Winn turned to look at her.

She wore an elegant long sleeve red surplice neck dress. Her blonde curls cascaded over her shoulders. She twirled around for her dumbstruck friends. "So, how is it?"

"I'll need to chase a lot of boys away today!" Winn cried, before rushing to give Kara a hug.

"You look like a princess!" Donna grinned happily. It was, after all, her choice. She knew Kara would look great in the dress. When they were all ready to go downstairs, Kara heard someone call her name.

She turned around to see her brother walking towards her. He grinned when he saw her.

"Kare bear! Look at you!" He jogged the rest of the way and pulled her into a hug, almost lifting her off her feet. Kara let out a small cry.

"Clark, put me down!"

He chuckled, setting her down. "You look great! Absolutely beautiful. Barry is gonna go crazy, I swear."

Kara's smile fell hearing that. She still hadn't told Clark or her parents about the break up. When Clark saw her shoulders stiffen and how she put her guard up suddenly, he knew something was wrong.

"What is it, Kara?" he asked, voice filled with concern.

"Hey! It's your big day. We will talk later," she said with a small smile, taking his hand in hers.

"You tell me now, Kara, or I'm going to go talk to Barry myself!"

Kara became nervous hearing his tone. It was never good when Clark got mad. "We broke up," she blurted out.

"What? When did this happen?!"

"Last week. But don't worry, everything is fine now," she promised.

Clark was quiet for a while. He finally let out a sigh and pulled her into a hug. "You should have told me. Why don't you tell me anything?"

"Clark!" Martha called from downstairs. "Where are you, honey? Everyone is here. And where's Kara?"

"I'm here, mom!" Kara called, moving away from her brother and looked downstairs. Martha let out a relieved sigh.

"Barry is here, honey. He's looking for you."

Clark stiffened hearing this. Kara turned towards him and patted his shoulder. "I'm handling this, Bro."

She ran down the stairs much to her mother's disapproval. Walking out, she smiled seeing the beautiful decorations. The whole place was now covered with flowers, ribbons and balloons.

Kara giggled as she remembered how she wanted balloons at every occasion, and her parents never said no.

As she was admiring everything, she crashed into a hard chest. Before she fell, the stranger grabbed her by her waist and pulled her close. Kara's eyes widened as she saw the striking deep grey-blue eyes.

"Blondie?" he called with a huge grin.

"Kai? Kai Parker?"

"Right from hell, baby!" He winked and tipped his invisible hat.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey guys! Things are getting complicated now. And Mike is back! God! I love writing him! I hope you are enjoying the story.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"Don't you look great in this dress!" _Kai_ said before touching her arm; she slapped his hand away and looked at him carefully.

He wore charcoal chinos and a matching blazer with a simple white crew-neck t-shirt underneath it. He looked hot in this ensemble, she had to give him that.

 _Looks hotter without it too_ , her mind supplied, wandering off to that night. Kara reddened as he finally stepped back and admired her.

"So, Blondie, before you distract me again, I just wanna say that you look absolutely beautiful. Red looks hot on you." He smirked when he saw her blush and lower her head. Placing a single finger underneath her chin, he lifted her face up and made her look into his eyes. "Has anyone ever called you beautiful before? Ever?"

"Of course people have!" Kara shot back with a frown. "And… you don't look so bad yourself."

"Aww! You just made my day! Let me return the favor, huh?"

Kara froze when she felt his hands on her waist. He moved closer and their noses almost touched. Smirking, he leaned towards her ear and whispered, "This dress does look great on you, but you know where it will look better?"

Kara felt as if she was melting in his arms. She placed her hands on his shoulders and asked in a whisper, "Where?"

The grin on his face grew wider as he replied, "On my floor, babe!"

Before Kara could angrily shove him away, he managed to sneak in quick kiss right under her ear.

* * *

Meanwhile, Winn had been looking for Kara. Even though it was a garden party, they had giant tents put up in case it rained. Winn stepped out of the tent and spotted Kara outside talking to someone. He ran towards her but stopped short when he saw just whom she was talking to.

He went to Kara's side and noticed how red she looked. "Kare bear, you okay?" Winn asked as he placed his hand over her forehead. "Hey! You're warm; let's get you inside. And… who is this gentleman?"

He didn't really have to ask, because Kara had been right. This man did look a lot like Kai Parker. Kara moved closer and whispered to Winn, "That's him. Kai."

"Oh wow! I'm Winn Schott, Kara's best friend." Winn held out his hand in front of the man to shake.

"Mike Matthews, otherwise known as Kara's Kai Parker." Mike smiled and shook his hands with Winn and then turned to face Kara. "So, your name is Kara? What a beautiful name!"

Kara gave him a smile small and thanked him.

"But it does mean 'empty' in Japanese, doesn't it? Like how _Karate_ means 'empty hand'."

"It means _pure_ , you jerk!" Kara glared at him and then Mike was laughing at her, tapping her nose with a finger.

"So cute and so easy to rile up, Blondie."

"Michael?" Suddenly, he heard someone call him from behind. Turning around he saw Barry Allen walking towards him.

Kara leaned to her right since Mike was blocking the view. She saw Barry walking towards them, a small frown on his face. He wore a casual black suit with a grey shirt. _Typical Barry_ , Kara thought with a small smile. But she couldn't help raise a single brow when she noticed Barry was only looking at Mike, not her.

"Oh my God!" Mike gasped. "If it isn't the angel himself, descending from heavens above to grace us mortals with his _unholy_ presence. Bartholomew, I would really say it's great to see you, but then again, lying is a sin. You should know that already."

Both Kara and Winn looked at Mike, dumbstruck. _What happened to him suddenly? It was as if he snapped._

Barry smiled at him, but it didn't reach his eyes. Kara was surprised to see the hard coldness in them instead of the usual warmth she knew. "Oh Michael, when demons walk the earth, angels have to stop them before they cause any mischief."

Mike smirked and moved closer. "Oh, but I'm no demon. I'm the devil. And you should be so darn scared of me, Bartholomew."

"Okay, enough!" Kara raised her voice, making both the men turn towards her.

"Kara, hey!" Barry said, his eyes softening. "I was just coming to talk to you."

"We have absolutely no time for that!" Kara narrowed her eyes at them and walked away with Winn.

"You want me to sit with them?" Winn asked, as if reading her thoughts.

"You're the best!" she grinned before giving him a one-arm hug. When they walked back into the tent, their eyes fell on all the guests who were all buzzing about, socializing. Donna spotted them and waved, gesturing them to join her in the front.

Both Kara and Donna were seated in the front with Clark, Diana, Martha and Jonathan. Winn was supposed to join them, but he sat somewhere in the middle, talking to Clark's two best friends, John Jones and Hal Jordan.

Mike sat next to Winn, complementing the décor and the food. "The wine is pretty good, too," he said.

Winn smiled proudly. "I went with Mr. and Mrs. Kent for the wine tasting. What a day!"

"Your choice, huh? Brilliant!" Mike raised his glass and clinked it with Winn's.

Once they had finished their lunch, Clark made his way towards the small podium in the front. He smiled at his beautiful fiancée before he started to speak, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to thank each of you for sharing this special day with my fiancée… Gee, I like the sound of that. I think I'll say it again – with my fiancée and myself. There are so many other things you could be doing today, so we're glad you chose to spend it with us on this special day. Thank you, on behalf of me and my lovely Diana…"

Clark went on with his speech as many smiled and clapped their hands listening to it, but a certain someone was in evil-mode.

"You know," Mike started, leaning closer to Barry, who slightly tilted his head towards him showing interest while trying to look uninterested. "Kara looks hot in red."

"Of course she does! She looks beautiful in whatever she wears."

"Oh yes. That's what I was telling her. When I called her beautiful, she seemed surprised. Like she doesn't hear it often."

"What's it to you, Michael?" Barry frowned.

"Oh nothing, I just love complementing a beautiful woman. And this one, she's so damn hot." Mike sat giving Barry his trademark grin. When he saw Barry's guard down after he had called Kara hot, Mike decided to make the final move. "Especially in bed."

Barry stiffened next to him, his wine glass slipping from his hand, making a loud clatter on the table. Winn, Hal and John turned their heads to look at him in surprise. Barry simply stood up, wiped his mouth with the napkin and grabbed Mike's coat in his fist. Mike stood up, narrowing his eyes at him. What he hadn't expected was a punch that did push him a few steps back, doing no damage whatsoever. Barry might have been quick with better reflexes, but Mike was stronger. With just one punch, Barry was falling over their table.

Clark stopped his speech in the middle and stammered, "Wh–what the hell is going on?"

Kara gasped and stood up to see Barry and Mike fighting in the middle of the tent, throwing themselves at each other, not caring just how badly they were hurting each other.

Clark jumped from the stage and ran towards them quickly. With the help of John, he pulled Mike away from Barry, who was lying on the ground with a nasty black eye. Mike's lip was cut, and he grabbed a napkin to wipe off the blood.

When Barry attempted to stand up and attack him again, Mike glared and said, "Stand down, cousin, or I'll forget we are even related!"

With that, he threw the napkin away and walked out of the tent.

By then, Kara had reached the boys. She grabbed Barry's arm and made him face her. "Cousin?"

Barry sighed and nodded, "Unfortunately. Sorry, I didn't tell you before, but he's my cousin… from hell."

* * *

 **A/N Part 2:** 'Cousin from hell'? Big words, Bartholomew! But I still love you for saying that. :)

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

To say the engagement party was a disaster would be the understatement of the century. Most guests walked out after the fight. Some stayed back just to tell the Kents that they shouldn't have invited some rowdy boys to such a big event. But the closest friends and family were the ones who had stayed back, making sure Clark and Diana were alright.

It was already evening, the sun had set and here she stood talking to her ex-boyfriend about his so-called 'cousin from hell'. Kara was disappointed. Barry was never the violent one, but today he had shown her a new side of him that scared her.

"I can't believe you slept with that asshole!" Barry yelled, not bothering if anyone heard them.

"Stop it, Barry. We are no longer together and it should be of no concern to you. And don't you _dare_ imply I cheated on you! Mike and I were together after we broke up."

"Kara, he's bad. NO, he's evil! Okay? He's the kind of guy you should steer clear of. He will only end up hurting you."

Kara let out a cold laugh. "Hurt me like you did? I'm a big girl, Bar. I'll take care of myself. Get some ice for the black eye." Saying that, she walked away from him.

The Allens had their guesthouse pretty close to the Kents' farmhouse, so they decided to go spent the night there. Henry and Nora had been apologetic for what had happened earlier. They wanted to talk to Clark, but he sat outside with his head in his hands, not wanting to talk to anyone. Barry left with them.

Kara was about to make her way back in, when she saw Mike sitting near the pool. She made her way towards him and asked, "Hey! You okay?"

He looked up at her. There was a small blue bruise forming under his eye, not as bad as Barry's, but Kara knew it still hurt just as much. Mike's lip had a small cut as well but the bleeding had stopped. Next to him laid a pristine white napkin from the party, drenched in blood.

Kara sat next to him. "Do you need something for the bruise? Some medicine to help with the pain?"

"I'm fine. And I'm really sorry. What happened was my fault, I riled him up."

"But he's the one who hit you first, right? Winn told me."

Mike sighed and looked up when he saw someone making their way towards him.

"Mom?" Kara asked, standing up.

Martha smiled and leaned down, handing something over to Mike. "It's a cold pack. It will help with the eye."

"Th–thanks," Mike stammered in surprise. Placing the pack on his eye, he asked, "So you're not going to yell at me?"

Martha chuckled. "No, dear. What happened was not your fault. It just happened. I've spoken to my son and Diana, they are both fine. Diana is hurt, but it's not what you think."

"Lyta didn't come," Kara said sadly.

"Yeah. She said she couldn't make it."

Mike sat listening to them, not really understanding anything. _Who was Lyta?_ Maybe he should _not_ be listening to this, it sounded private. He stood up and was about to walk away when he heard someone make their way towards them. When this person stepped into the light, Mike noticed it was Kara's older brother, Clark, or simply the guy whose engagement party he had ruined.

"Mom, aunt Annie and her family are staying back for the night," Clark spoke. "I think I should go to bed too." Martha nodded and patted his shoulder. But when Clark's eyes fell on Mike, he moved closer, holding a hand out for him to shake. "Clark Kent. Don't think we have met before, other than the whole pulling you away so you don't kill Barry…"

Mike hesitated but when he saw Clark smile, he shook hands with him. "I'm Mike Matthews. Nora Allen's nephew."

Clark gasped to everyone's surprise. " _You're_ Mike Matthews? _Valor_ Mike Matthews?"

Martha and Kara exchanged glances. And Mike gave Clark a strange smile. "You know me?"

Chuckling lightly, Clark nodded. "What a small world, huh? Mom, remember I told you about this blog written by an Investigative Journalist? Valor? This is him, Mom. This is Valor."

"Of course." Martha smiled remembering what Clark had showed her. "I read your article about the disappearance of Elliot Downs. It was really sad, but I'm glad you helped the family."

"Thank you. It was horrible, being there, seeing the body with my own eyes." Mike let out a sigh. When he turned to face Kara, who was awfully quiet, he raised a single brow and smiled.

"Wait, is it just me who doesn't know who this guy really is?" she asked incredulously.

Mike burst out laughing and soon Clark was joining him. Kara looked at them in confusion before shrugging.

"Hey Mike, can I talk to you for a minute?" Clark asked. "In private?"

Martha nodded and said, "I'm going in now. Have to see to dinner. Mike, if you don't feel like going back to the Allens' for the night, you are most welcome here. Kara will show you to a guestroom. I'll see you later."

Kara stood watching her mother walk away, when she turned to face the men, they had decided to take their conversation elsewhere.

Pouting lightly, she headed back in. Donna and Winn were waiting in her room. Winn struggling with Donna's zipper.

"I SWEAR, WINSLOW SCHOTT, YOU BREAK THAT ZIPPER, I'LL BREAK YOUR NECK!" Donna shouted at him. Winn wiped the perspiration off his forehead and tried his best to pull the zipper down carefully.

When Winn saw Kara walk in, his eyes begged for her help. Kara smiled and stepped in front of him and easily managed to undo the zipper. Donna turned around, her bright blue eyes icy cold. She glared at Winn before walking into the bathroom and closing the door with a loud bang.

"Do I need to know what happened?" Kara asked, taking a seat next to Winn. He simply shook his head and went to lie down on the bed.

When they heard a knock on the door, they looked up to see Mike standing outside, holding a small denim backpack in his hand. "Hey Kara, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure!" Kara stood up, sent Winn one parting glance and walked out. "What's up?"

"Is there anywhere I can freshen up?" Mike asked, gesturing towards his shirt that Kara finally realized was soaked with his blood. She hadn't seen the stain in the dark earlier.

"Oh my! Are you really okay?" she asked in concern.

Mike smirked and moved closer, moving her against the wall. Kara gasped when she felt his breath over her lips. "Worried about me, Blondie? You're so cute!"

Kara pushed him away just as his lips touched the corner of her mouth. "You want to freshen up, right? I'll show you to a bedroom."

"You are more than welcome to accompany me in there. It's not like you haven't seen it before!"

Kara turned around and closed his mouth with her hand. She jumped when she felt him kiss her hand. Mike grinned as he followed her to one of the guestrooms. Kara told him that she would wait for him in her room and quickly left.

Kara was back in her room, talking to Winn when she saw Mike return. He had changed into a pair of dark blue jeans, a graphic red t-shirt and a dark blue jacket. His backpack slung over one of his shoulders. He smiled at Kara and gestured for her to join him.

"Goodbye, Winn!" He waved before walking away. Mike chuckled when he heard Winn's reply.

"So, are we just gonna walk?" Kara asked once they reached the staircase.

"We can talk if you want," he suggested.

"Sure! Let's talk." Kara gave him a small smile.

"I'm pretty sure we can do that _as_ we walk."

"Wait, where are we going again?"

Mike turned to face her, a sad smile playing on his face. "Not us. Just me. I'm going home. There's a bus in forty minutes."

"You know you are more than welcome to stay here. We have enough rooms. And Mom was the one who invited you in the first place."

"Kara, I think I've overstayed my welcome. But if you really, really want me in your bed, just say it, babe. Let's do it!" He smirked, tapping her nose with a finger.

"Why can't we have a single serious conversation without you drifting off to your flirtatious dudebro self?"

Mike smirk fell. He stood up straight and asked, "You wanna talk serious? Let's talk serious. Why did you leave that morning? No note. No nothing. I was going to take you out for breakfast, you know? First for me."

"Mike, do we really have to talk about this?" Kara let out a loud sigh. "Because… let's face it… it was a mistake."

Kara's eyed widened. Gone was the easygoing flirtatious dude; Mike's face became impassive and his eyes turned cold, for her sake she deluded herself that she had imagined the brief flash of emotion she had seen.

"Mistake it is." Saying that, Mike turned around and walked down the stairs in a hurry. As he reached the bottom, he turned around, his trademark smirk back on his face. "It was great knowing you, Blondie! Have a good life." Giving her one last wink, he walked out of the door.

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Ricky, this one's for you! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

There was a strange sinking feeling in her gut as Kara watched Mike walk out of the door. He didn't look back again, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. It was true that for a whole week she was eager to see him again. But there was something about him… something that made him so mysterious.

Turning back with a sigh, she headed back to her room. She gasped when she saw Winn and Donna on her bed, Donna spooning Winn.

"Guys! You do realize if someone sees you together they will end up thinking you are _actually together_ ," Kara called, making them look up. " _Together_ together."

"The bed is big, come cuddle," Winn said with a sheepish smile.

Donna groaned. "It's simple, Kare bear, I love being the big spoon, but I'm not seeing anyone at the moment, so Winn volunteered."

"Yup! I volunteered as tribute," Winn said proudly. "Hey, where's Mike? He went to bed already?"

Kara sighed and shook her head. "He left."

Both Donna and Winn sat up hearing that. "What do you mean he _left_?" Donna asked, quickly getting out of the bed and locating her jeans. She put it on before scolding Kara. "I cannot believe you let him go! And knowing you, you still haven't gotten his number. Kare bear, when you like a guy, you talk to him. And how does that work? By getting his damn number!"

Kara pouted and looked at Winn for some help. He nodded quietly and stood up; placing his hands on Donna's shoulders, he made her face him. "You really have to calm down, Doe. Kara isn't like you. She's new to all this. She's had _one_ boyfriend her entire life, and she didn't really have to ask for his number. He lived next door. But since we are helping her out, I suggest we take the car and go out and find Mike."

"Umm… guys? I don't think he would ever want to talk to me again." Kara ran her hand through her hair, messing it up.

"Why? What did you do?" Winn asked, moving towards her. "Kara, what did you say to him?"

"I called it a mistake, okay?" Kara huffed loudly. "Sleeping with him was a mistake. And I told him that."

Donna and Winn exchanged glances. Finally, Donna let out a loud sigh and said, "We got a lot to teach her, Winslow!"

"I couldn't agree more," Winn replied to her, but his eyes were on Kara. "Okay, people! Damage control time! Let's go!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Mike had reached the small bus stop right outside the town. The bus wasn't going to be here in another ten minutes, so he took his phone out and called his best friend, or his _only_ friend, as he preferred calling him. Turning on the video chat, he grinned when he heard Eric Crawley curse.

It was really late and Eric looked as if he was in deep sleep before Mike woke him up. "Hey bro! You sleepin'?"

Rubbing his eyes, Eric spoke, "The f*ck is wrong with you, man? Waking me up at stupid o'clock to ask me if I'm sleeping?!"

"You did pick up the phone!" Mike shot back. "And it's not _that_ late. You just sleep early, you owl!"

"Mike, your name is right over Mom's, I thought she was calling me. But it also looked like Madison, the girl I was expecting a call from. Hold on, I need my glasses."

"Hey, four eyes, I met her!"

Eric's eyes widened, he sat up straight, his complete attention on Mike now. "Who her? _'Her'_ her?"

Mike shook his head. "No, dude! The blondie I hooked up with!"

"Ah! The one who kept saying 'Ding' in the elevator?"

"The one who kept calling me 'Kai Parker', yeah."

Eric grinned. "Looked up the guy. Man, your folks must have given up your twin bro for adoption."

Rolling his eyes at his friend, Mike replied, "Get lost! No, wait. I know who that ex is; the one that Blondie kept talking about. Guess who?"

"The Prince of England? How the hell am I supposed to know? You think I'm psychic?"

"Screw you! It's Barry freakin' Allen!"

Eric's jaw dropped. "F*ck! Bartholomew? What the hell, man? You slept with Barry's ex? Since when is his type your type?

"I know! She's not my type. But she's _different_."

"Since we are still having this chat at stupid o'clock, enlighten me."

Mike smirked hearing that. "She's like a perfect combination of sunshine, bunnies, tears and unicorn blood!"

"Stop right there! I've to watch Harry Potter again to know the color of unicorn blood! It's been soooo long!"

"It's silver."

"SILVER!" Eric cried. "How did I forget that? Thanks, but I'm still gonna do a HP marathon without you."

"I guess I'm gonna be here for a while longer."

Eric grinned. "Sucks! I got a new jet water scooter."

"F*ck off!" Mike smiled showing him the middle finger.

"Miss ya, bro! And go get on that bus, I need my beauty sleep. Night!"

"Miss you, too, brother!" Mike said, standing up when he saw the lights of the bus coming into view. "I'll text as soon as I get home." He cut the call and waited for the bus to come to a stop. When it did, he sighed and looked at the dark street once before getting on the bus.

 _No one is coming to stop you, you idiot_ , he mentally cursed himself and took a seat near the window. Pulling out his headphone from the backpack, he put on the music on full blast and closed his eyes.

* * *

Kara had never been this hyped in her life before. Not even when she went to Disneyland with her best friends. This was something else. A rush. She knew she had to see him again; apologize, because she had lied to him. It wasn't a mistake. It was anything but a mistake.

Sitting in the passenger seat as Winn drove the car, Kara's eyes searched for Mike. They had reached the bus stop, but he wasn't there.

Kara stepped out of the car. Lifting her dress up a little, she ran a little further and her eyes saw the small light that was going farther in the end of the road.

She was late. He was gone.

Dejected, she turned around to see Winn and Donna standing near the car.

"We can chase the bus," Winn suggested.

Kara shook her head. "It's too late. Too late."

Donna moved towards her and pulled her into a hug. "It's never too late. Mike coming to this party was some crazy game of destiny. Maybe if that's what's happening, a rollercoaster ride, I suggest you sit down and put on the seatbelt. But if you really, really wanna see him, I suggest we ask Nora for his number. She's his aunt, isn't she?"

" _And_ my ex-boyfriend's mom. Yeah, right." Kara rolled her eyes and headed back to the car.

"Kara, if there's someone who truly believed in love and destiny," Donna started, "then that would be you. If you give up now, we all give up hope. Be the sunshine you are, don't let the dark engulf you."

Kara gave Donna a teary smile and hugged her again. When the girls heard a sob, they turned around to see Winn leaning against the car, wiping tears off his cheek. "You girls make me so emotional!"

The girls chuckled and went to give him a hug. Winn hugged them both and said, "Three Musketeers are still single! Yay!"

Donna gave him a mock-punch on his chest, and Winn pretended to be hurt. He grinned when he heard Kara's shrill of laughter. Placing a soft kiss on her head, he looked up at Donna, who simply gave him a bright smile before hugging him again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys! I hope you liked reading this! Let me know how it was through a review or a message on Twitter. :) Annndddd... if you are wondering what Eric Crawley looks like... just google 'Andrew Garfield'.

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thank you everyone for reading and leaving a review! Hopefully not too late but I would like to dedicate this story to my friends Ricky and Jen! I'm really happy to have your support, guys! :)

 **Ricky Pine** \- I'm just glad you liked Eric! :D Let's hope I do justice to him!

 **JakeKatie4ever** \- Aw! I love reading your reviews. You're awesome! And you don't have to wait too long for the next update. It's next day! ;)

 **syelle** \- Yes! Mike and Eric are BROTP! And I LOVE them! :D Just as much as I love our Three Musketeers! Haha!

 **NameIsKohl** \- THANK YOU!

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Goodbyes were always hard. Kara knew that. Mike's parting words still bothered her. He was a good guy, but she had lied to him. But Kara also knew that she wasn't his type. She was the type of the girl Barry Allen would love to be with, not Mike Matthews.

And so, almost a week after his goodbye, she still sat thinking about what would have happened if she had told him the truth. Kara sat in the kitchen, doodling something while talking to the cook, Sofia about a new recipe she was learning.

"I didn't realize we put milk in it," Kara said, giggling lightly.

Sofia smiled. "It's a dessert so yes, milk is necessary."

Her father had gone to work and her mother was busy organizing a charity event. Kara was starting her internship tomorrow, and she couldn't be more excited.

Just as she finished doodling what looked like a dark-haired Rockstar playing a guitar, she heard the doorbell ring. Before Sofia could move, Kara walked out of the kitchen and went to open the door. She was expecting Donna, since her best friend had called her earlier and asked Kara to go shopping with her.

But to her surprise, it turned out to be Barry. He was facing away from the door, but when she pulled it open, he turned around with a small smile.

"Barry, what are you doing here?" she asked quickly, skipping the pleasantries.

"Hi, I saw you in your room, from the window. Thought I could have a word."

"Sure! Come in." She held the door open for him. But as soon as he walked in, he reached out to grab her hand.

Kara didn't stop him. She knew he was here to tell her something. And she was going to listen to him. She owed him that much at the very least. "What's up, Bar?"

"I'm leaving, Kara. My flight leaves in four hours. I thought I would say goodbye before I left for the airport."

Kara nodded quietly. Her eyes felt watery, but no tears escaped.

"Here," he said, holding out a small gift bag that she hadn't noticed before. "Your first day of work tomorrow. And I couldn't be prouder. These might be useful."

Kara gave him a small smile before taking the bag and looking what was inside it. She gasped when she saw it was a New Job Survival Kit. Kara chuckled as she opened it. There were a set of pens, a mug, new Earpods, pen drive, note pads, sticky notes and other stationary things she knew she would use, and lots of bars of her favorite caramel chocolates.

"Thank you," Kara whispered as she set the bag down and reached out to hug him.

Barry wrapped his arms around her and spoke, "I wish this didn't end this way, Kare bear. Because you are the only girl I've ever loved."

Kara stepped away and looked at him. His eyes were red. The silly boy had been crying. A small pout formed on her lips when she saw a tear slide down his cheek. He wiped it and said, "The last five years, with you, were the best time of my life, Kara. Sure I messed up for two months in those five years. I was stupid and… I regret it every day. Asking you to move with me was a big mistake. I didn't think _this_ would happen. I'm not here to hurt you, Kara. I just want you to know that I will always love you. It's always going to be you. You are my best girl."

A sob escaped her, and she was in his arms again. "Oh, Barry…"

"Your memories will always haunt me now. But I really want us to work out. Give me another chance, Kara. Just one more chance. I'm leaving now. But my flight doesn't leave for the next four hours. If you feel anything… if there's even a slightest chance that we can get back together, come to the airport. You don't have to say anything." He cupped her face in his hands. "Just come, and I'll know you still love me. And I know that you do. What happened with Mike, we can just forget it. Forget that he even exists!"

Kara's eyes widened hearing that. _Forget Mike? Was that even possible?_

"I really hope to see you later. If you come, I'll make sure this works out. We can visit each other. And long distance relationship can be fun. We just never tried it. We can spend our holidays together. Kara, I think we were always meant to do-or-die. Give me a chance, baby. One more." He pulled her closer and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. Kara sobbed on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his waist.

When she finally pulled away, he wiped her tears, placed a soft kiss on her cheek and moved towards the door.

"Bar?" Kara called, making him turn around. "I'll always love you, you know that, right?"

"I just want you to love me enough so that no another guy can steal you away from me, Kara." Saying that, he gave her a sad smile and walked out of the door.

Kara turned around and ran upstairs to her room. She closed the door and went to sit on her bed. But she slid down and sat on the floor; pulling her knees to her chest, crying as she thought about Barry leaving. Even though it hurt, she knew she had no strength to stop him.

* * *

Donna had just bought Kara's favorite potstickers and a bottle of club soda for her and was making her way upstairs. Opening the door, she walked right in and placed the food on the table.

"Kara, look what I brought! Eat up, it's hot! Hey! Kara?" Donna's eyes narrowed at the sound of a sob. Kara was sitting with her back against the other side of the bed. Donna moved towards her and kneeled down. Kara's eyes were blood red, and she kept sobbing.

"Kara? What happened?" Donna's eyes softened as she pulled her friend into a hug. Patting her head, Donna asked, "Tell me. Did someone hurt you? I'll kill this person!"

"No, it–it's not what yo–you think," Kara stuttered. "Barry. He's gone."

"Kara!" Donna cupped her face and wiped her tears. "Let him go, Kara. Stop hurting yourself over him. He doesn't deserve you!"

"Doe, he told me to come, to the airport. If I st–still loved him. And I love him! But I do–don't wanna go!" Kara wept in her friend's arms. Donna kept caressing her head. But she quickly pulled out her phone from her pocket and texted Winn.

It didn't take long for Winn to arrive, but Kara had fallen asleep on her bed, curled up in a fetal position. Donna sat next to her in the bed, but when the door opened and Winn walked in, Donna stood up and went to him. She grabbed his hand and led him outside.

"What happened?" he asked in concern. "I came as fast as I could!"

"I know. She cried herself to sleep. Barry was here. He's leaving in an hour. And he told her that if she wanted to give them another chance, he wanted to see her at the airport."

"Why is she still here then?"

Donna shook her head. "Don't you see? She is not ready to give _him_ another chance. Did you forget she chased after Mike?"

Winn looked away, it all hit him at once. "She loves Barry, but she didn't go after him. But she went after Mike."

Donna smiled and patted his shoulder. "Right, Winn. I think she likes Mike more."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys! I hope you liked reading this! Let me know how it was through a review or a message on Twitter. :) Sooo... this was super SuperFlash, huh? Yeah, I know most of you like Mike more than Barry, SO MIKE RETURNS TOMORROW!

Yeah, I'm kinda breaking my update schedule and posting another chapter tomorrow. So do let me know if you like both the updates! Have a great day!

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"WAKE UP! IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY OF WORK!"

Kara woke up with a jolt and groaned when she saw Donna standing in front of her with a big grin on her face.

"Come on, sleepyhead! We need to find you the best outfit. First impression is the best impression. Who knows… you might meet a hot guy today!"

"Doe, you are so loud in the morning!" Kara groaned and plopped on the bed again. But soon enough, Donna was pulling her out and pushing her into the bathroom.

After taking a quick shower, when Kara stepped outside, she found a beautiful but very short black dress on the bed. "I'm so not wearing that!" Kara said before raiding her wardrobe. She chose a checkered blue and white sleeveless dress. Pairing it up with her black tights and a dark blue cardigan, she turned to see Donna, who shook her head before leaving the room.

"No hot guy is coming after you!" Donna yelled before walking out.

Kara smiled and changed into her clothes. She had kept the 'Survival Kit' from Barry in her handbag last night. Barry was so thoughtful, she knew it would be very useful. Having Donna and Winn over and having potstickers with club soda did help her feel better, but she never went after him.

Once she was ready, Kara walked out to Sofia making something in the kitchen.

"Morning, Sof! Are mom and dad home?" Kara asked as she grabbed an apple.

"Good morning, Miss Kara. They left early today. But they left this for you. All the very best for your first day at work."

Smiling at Sofia, Kara said, "Thanks, Sof! You're a darling." Taking the letter from her, Kara walked out. It was basically a message from her parents, apologizing for leaving early and not wishing her personally. They wanted to have dinner with her later.

As she kept the letter in her bag and looked up, she noticed Donna leaning against the car and yelling at someone on the phone.

"Oh no, you don't do that. Because you are an asshat! The only people you care about are your mistresses! Go to hell, Z!" Donna kicked the door and yelped in pain.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Kara asked, walking towards her and patting her shoulder.

"Yeah. It's just that I was born to a jerk." Shaking her head, she pulled the door open and got in.

Kara was about to get into the passenger seat when her eyes fell on someone in the back. She looked closer to see it was Winn and he was asleep.

"Winn is still sleeping," Kara pointed out.

"Yeah, I'll pour water over him or scream if he doesn't wake up. Had to drag him out of the house early." Grabbing a small paper bag, she handed it over to Kara along with a cup of coffee. "Egg and cheddar sandwich and your _weak_ coffee."

Kara giggled as she started eating her breakfast.

When they reached, like Donna had said earlier, she did scream in Winn's ear to wake him up. He whined and got up, hands clamped tight over his ringing ears.

"Okay, kids. Mommy's gotta go! Don't trouble your boss too much! And have a blast!" Donna gave Kara a big hug and mock-punched Winn on his arm and walked back to her car.

"What a tornado!" Winn said as she drove off. "She slapped me this morning. I think I like it."

"You're crazy! Just confess already!" Kara led the way towards the reception. She hadn't visited The Daily Planet in a while, so a lot of things looked different, especially after the remodeling that was done.

The receptionist, Kate looked up and smiled at Kara. "Welcome, Kara and Winslow. You won't be needing visitor IDs today. Just walk straight and take the elevator all the way to the fifteenth floor. Clark said he would be waiting for you there. You can collect your IDs from the HR, it's on the fifteenth floor. Clark will walk you through it."

"Thank you!" Kara said with a big smile.

But Winn simply scratched his head and asked, "Umm… I've two questions!"

"Go ahead."

"Does the ID have my full name? Because I prefer 'Winn'. And… are everyone on first name basis here?"

"Yes, it does read Winslow Schott. But you can introduce yourself as Winn, if you want. And about the first name, Clark insists," Kate replied. "He wants us to be familiar with each other and also friendly. But we do not call Mr. Wayne _Bruce_ , he will probably get mad."

Seeing Kate's smile, Winn nodded. "Thanks!" he said before gesturing Kara to lead the way.

"Wow! We are doing it!" Kara cried in excitement as they stepped into the elevator.

"I'm scared, but I also know I'm gonna have fun. Do you think our departments are on the same level?" Winn asked, looking out through the glass.

"I'm not sure. It's been a while since I was last here."

The elevator came to a stop and they stepped out. The offices were on the left. And like Kate had said, Clark was there. He was leaning against a desk, drinking his coffee and laughing about something.

"Tell Bruce I said that, he will freak out!" Clark laughed and turned to see who had just walked in. He gave them a big smile. "Kara! Winn! Welcome to The Daily Planet."

He gave Kara a quick kiss on her cheek and patted Winn's shoulder. "Now, I don't do this for everyone; big boss, remember?" Clark winked. "But since you two are family, you are exceptions. Let's head over to HR and get your IDs. There are certain rooms that need a special badge that has to be scanned. But you won't be needing those anytime soon."

"That's so cool," Winn said, his eyes bright. He couldn't wait to see where he was going to work.

"This way," Clark said, leading the way, all the while greeting the staff and introducing Kara and Winn.

Kara smiled at her big brother. Clark was one of the kindest people she had ever known. When their parents used to be busy with work, he was the one who read her bedtime stories, who taught her how to play the piano, to ride a bicycle. Clark was like her guardian angel.

As Clark got their IDs, he felt her gaze on him. Turning towards her with a smile, he said, "You happy? I've a big surprise for you. But first, let's take Winn to his workstation."

Winn's office was on the seventeenth floor. They walked in to see all the programmers and engineers seated there. Everyone greeted Winn and Kara before Clark showed Winn his desk. Right next to the window with a great view of the city, Winn's desk had three monitors and lots of other gadgets he knew he would need.

Saying bye to Winn after he met his seniors, Kara followed Clark out.

"The reporters, especially the Investigative ones are on the twentieth floor. Same as me," Clark said, pressing the button. "I don't really mind people coming into my office whenever they want. You know why?"

"Why?" Kara asked, holding back a laugh.

"See that." Clark pointed ahead and in the corner of the floor was his cabin, made of glass walls.

"Wow! We can see you then!"

"Or… I can see you all without having to open a blind." Clark grinned. "So glad you are here. First of all, I know you wouldn't want this, but I want the best for you. So while you are interning here, and since Bruce insisted, I decided to have someone mentor you."

"What? But why? You know I'm more than capable of doing things by myself and learning," Kara protested.

"I know. But he's the best. Trust me. Work with him, learn the ropes, soon you will be out there, being the best reporter we both know you will be someday." Clark touched her shoulder. "Give him a chance. He truly is the best."

Kara sighed but gave him a small nod. Clark smiled at her. He led her towards his cabin, but stopped short in the middle. Kara couldn't take her eyes off the view. When she saw Clark place his hand on a desk, she knew it was hers. Smiling, she looked up at him as he called, "Mike! Hey man, she's here."

Kara froze when she saw the man who turned around. He was munching on a red vine. His eyes lit up when he saw her. Mike Matthews gave her a big grin before saying, "Hey Blondie! Great to see you again. You and I are gonna have so much _fun_!"

Kara's eyes widened when he winked at her when Clark wasn't watching.

When Clark turned around, he lovingly patted his sister's shoulder. "Alright, Mike, Kara is in your hands now."

Kara didn't miss Mike's trademark smirk, hinting something. Something indecent. _Oh, what a day! And it only just started. This boy is trouble!_

* * *

 **A/N:** ANNNNNDDDD... here he is! Mike freakin' Matthews! :D Hope you liked this. Leave me a review or a message on Twitter. I would love to know what you think.

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Mike couldn't stop grinning as he looked at Kara's flustered face. She rolled her eyes at him and took a seat at her desk. The minute she sat down she let out a loud groan. Mike was right in front of her. _Why did their desks have to face each other?_

When she saw him looking at her with a smirk, she huffed and stood up. Kara headed straight to the break room to grab a glass of water. As she walked in, her eyes widened at the sight of the room. Modern décor with a ping pong table, a foosball table and a chalkboard wall. Clark sure went all out with remodeling the whole place. Smiling, Kara went to grab herself a drink. When she turned around, she saw Mike leaning against the wall. "Slacking on your first day at work, Blondie? That's not nice."

"Are you _stalking_ me now?" Kara asked, rolling her eyes at him.

She hadn't noticed what he was holding. Her eyes widened when he showed her Barry's new job survival kit. "Seriously? He got you this?"

Kara put the glass away and ran to get it from Mike. "Don't you dare touch my things, Mike!"

He raised his hands up in surrender; a small box in his hand came into view. "Hey! Hey! I got you something too. I know Barry is lame, but that gift… ha! Here, mine is better."

Kara hesitated before taking it from his hand. She placed Barry's gift aside and looked up at Mike. "Thanks. You didn't have to." She gave him a small smile. "Can I open it?"

"Sure!"

Kara tore the wrapper away and pulled out the box. It looked like a Magic 8 Ball. Only, this was blue and it read 'INSTANT EXCUSE'.

"You got me an _excuse ball_?" Kara asked in surprise.

"Yeah! You see you suck at excuses. _'Because… let's face it… it was a mistake.'_ is what you said," he imitated her flawlessly. "But it wasn't, so, I think you need better excuses. And welcome to The Daily Planet, Blondie. We will make a great team."

Kara raised a single brow, but when Mike leaned closer and did what she didn't expect he would do, her eyes widened. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Pulling away, he gave her a mock-salute and walked out of the break room. Kara blushed and looked down. _What was this man doing to her?_

When she headed back to her desk, taking Barry and Mike's gifts along, she noticed a blonde lady leaning against Mike's desk, talking to him. More like flirting with him.

As Kara took a seat, the blonde turned around to look at her. She was confident and gorgeous. Probably in her early 30s. And Kara knew exactly who this woman was. _Cat Grant._ Gossip Columnist. The one who had the hots for not just her brother and Bruce Wayne, but also Mike Matthews, by what she was seeing.

"Oh, if it isn't little Keira!" Cat said with her hand over her hip. "She was a little girl when I first saw her." Cat turned to look at Mike and gave him a charming smile. Then she leaned over his desk, her hand slithering up towards his shoulder. "You don't like little girls, do you, Mike?"

Mike smirked, leaning closer, pushing a single strand behind her ear. "Why little girls when I can have hot, older, sexy women?" He then turned towards Kara and winked at her.

Kara felt like she was going to throw up. She hid her disappointment and turned away. She quickly opened her mail to see a welcome email and her very first assignment, which was not so surprisingly from Mike himself. He was making her read all his blog postings to get a hang of how things were done his way. Kara looked up with a little frown only to see Cat giving his cheek a peck and walking away.

As soon as she walked away, Mike rolled his eyes and got back to work. _So, he wasn't serious about this_ , Kara thought. He was a player, it was written all over his face. But this player just happened to be her boss too, at least the tone of his email stated he was all business.

Opening _Valor_ , Kara checked out his latest posting about joining The Daily Planet and how he would be writing for them as an Investigative Journalist. She then looked at the archive and saw blog postings since 2010. _And there were so many! How could he expect her to read it all?_

Deciding to ask the man what his deal was, she stood up and moved towards his desk. Mike was back to munching on another red vine. He looked up and raised a single brow.

"What?" he asked with a mouthful of red vine.

"Look, I don't even know why my brother hired you. Sure, you can write. But why are you getting special treatment from the _entire_ staff?"

Mike put his red vine away and sat back in his chair and asked, "You really don't know me, do you? And I thought you were pretty serious about being an Investigative Journalist." He stood up and pulled her chair to his desk and gently pushed her back so she sat staring at the monitor in front of her. Mike quickly browsed something and showed her an article. "Read this."

Kara looked at him in confusion before nodding and checking out what he was showing.

'VALOR COMES TO THE DAILY PLANET' was the headlines and surprisingly it was from their latest online issue. The article was written by the Daily Planet's very own Eloise Bailey. Eloise was a Pulitzer Prize winner whom Clark dated for three months before deciding to just stay friends. Eloise and Clark had a great professional relationship after that; no wonder Clark gave her the scoop on Valor.

 _Hailing from the sprawling southern Californian city of Los Angeles, Michael Matthews had picked up the pen at the age of twenty, starting_ Valor _, which later became his own famous pseudonym given to him by his most avid readers._

 _With over fifty cases solved successfully and blogged on Valor, Mr. Matthews has now decided to move to the Emerald City to join The Daily Planet. He will be leading the team of our very best Investigative Journalists as well as mentoring our new interns._

 _Founders and co-owners Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent have shared their thoughts on the arrival of Valor._

 _'_ _I've always been an avid reader of Valor. I get notified whenever he updates,' Mr. Kent says. 'Frankly, it was fate meeting him last week. We at The Daily Planet are really excited about his arrival. Mike will be given full freedom with his news approach. We hope to see him inspire others around him, and I'm certain that is exactly what he will be doing!'_

 _Mr. Wayne, who on the other hand has not been a follower, but has shown his interest in Valor's articles before, says, 'Kent always keeps me updated about any interesting reads online these days. For the past few months he had been wanting to meet Matthews in person. Last week was just his lucky day. I'm looking forward to seeing Matthews in person and talk more about his writing sometime this month. I wish him all the very best.'_

 _Already working on his very first case with The Daily Planet, Mr. Matthews has to say, 'The Planet is indeed a bigger platform and if I could be of any help to anyone, at least they know I'm currently in one place since I moved around a lot for the last four years without much contact.' He laughs as he tells us about all the places he had visited before finding himself in Seattle. When asked if he plans to make a permanent move, Mr. Matthews adds, 'I don't really think about the next day, I try to live today and move one day at a time. It's like getting on a big ship, which is a pretty big thing since I sailed a small boat for the last seven years. Now, there will be a final destination in this journey, and I'll be getting off there. But when it comes to home, it will always be my sunny LA.'_

 _As much as we support Mike's decision, we would love for him to stay back. If you are a reader of Valor, make sure you subscribe to his articles on our website._

Kara let out a loud sigh and turned to see Mike looking at her keenly. "Like what you see?" She gave him a small smile.

He winked at her and said, "Always! Like what you read?"

"So… you are a big deal when it comes to Investigative Journalism, but doesn't change the fact that you are a cocky player."

"Ooohh!" Mike placed a hand over his chest. "You break my heart, Blondie! Now, I have to get back to work and you _really_ need to get over your passionate yet desperate desire to have me!" Kara's eyes widened when he mouthed, 'In you.'

She wanted to slap him, but all she could do was glare at him. She pulled her chair back to her desk and sat on it. She could still see Mike smirking at her.

"Yo, Blondie! Have lunch with me today. The pizza here is amazing."

"Not interested, Mike!"

"Aw! Poor Kara isn't hungry for food?" Mike mock-pouted. "Maybe something else? Something that involves us, no clothes, sheets and a bed?" Seeing Kara's jaw drop, Mike shrugged. "Okay, couch works too!"

"Michael Matthews, I will report you for sexual harassment!" Kara gritted.

"Sure! Sure! Certainly not after having me in your bed before and moaning my name wrong. It wounds my ego… I need you. In my bed. Just for you to moan 'MIKE', not 'Kai'."

Before she realized it, Kara had stalked over to Mike's desk, grabbed the now cold coffee mug from his desk and threw the coffee over his pants.

Mike gasped and jumped up. "What the hell is wrong with you, woman?!" He lowered his voice when he saw others stare at them. Grabbing Kara's arm, he started pulling her towards the break room. Once inside, he said, "You need to clean this up! NOW!"

"NO! I WILL NOT! It will make people think you got intimidated by me and peed your pants!" Kara grinned, crossing her hands across her chest.

"You are soooo gonna pay for this, Blondie!"

"Oh yeah? Bring it on, big boy!" She grabbed his shirt in her fist and pulled him closer.

Mike was so close that his nose was touching hers. "If it's a war you want, it's a war you shall get!"

"Stop stealing dialogues from Narnia, you stupid dudebro!" Kara yelled as he moved away from her.

Something flashed in his eyes and his trademark smirk reappeared, he started undoing the belt and removed his pants. Kara's eyes widened.

"Careful, Kara. You are about to unleash the devil." Saying that, Mike threw his pants over his shoulder and walked straight to the restroom. Kara collapsed in a chair, realization beginning to sink in. _What had she just done?_

* * *

 **A/N:** ANNNNNDDDD... things are heating up thanks to Mike Matthews! Also, the Cat in this story is younger, if you wanna picture someone, I would suggest 'Margot Robbie'. Hope you are enjoying the story, do let me know how it is. Review or a message on twitter works. :)

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Heading back to her desk, Kara noticed that Mike wasn't there. But did he just walk out with his pants hanging over his shoulder? Did that _really_ happen or did she just have a _very_ vivid imagination?

It felt like she was doing the walk of shame as all her colleagues were looking at her. Of course! Mike just walked out in his boxer and she followed him out. Kara groaned loudly as she plopped on her chair. She didn't look at anyone and pretended to concentrate on the article she was reading.

Kara hadn't realized how fast the time flew as she saw her co-workers getting up and heading out of the office. She sat back and checked the time. Lunch break.

When she felt a hand over her shoulder, Kara jumped and turned around to see it was only Winn.

"Winny! I'm so glad you are here!"

"What's wrong, Kare bear?" Winn asked. "Don't you want to go to lunch? I'm starving and they have some great food upstairs!"

"I was just—"

Kara was rudely cut off as Mike walked towards her desk and plopped on it. "Hey Winn! Great to see you here, man!"

Winn smiled. "Mike? What are you doing here, buddy?"

"He works here." Kara rolled his eyes at Mike, who simply chuckled. She noticed that he had changed into dark blue jeans. _Whatever happened to his other pants?_

"I do work here. But that's _only_ because the food here is great!" Mike said proudly.

"Really? What would you recommend?" Winn asked as the boys started walking out, Kara followed them quickly.

"Pizza and cheesy fries. The Chinese could be better, they just need to fire the cook." When Mike saw Cat waving to him, he told Winn and Kara that he would see them later and ran to join Cat.

"Whoa! He's with The Cat Grant?" Winn asked in surprise, turning to look at his friend.

"NO!" Kara exclaimed.

"You're jealous!"

"NO, I AM NOT!"

"Duh! You are." Winn smiled as he threw his arm over her shoulder and led the way to the elevator.

"Winn, I don't _like_ him."

"I never said you did. I just said you were jealous. So obviously you like him."

Kara rolled her eyes at him. They walked into the cafeteria and Winn got them both plates. "I'm going for the pizza and fries with cheese. You?"

"I see potstickers!" Kara grinned. She went to get some potstickers for herself and saw Winn grabbing them a seat in the far corner. Grabbing two sodas for them, she joined him. As Kara took a seat, someone slid in next to her.

"What are you doing here?" Kara asked Mike as he sat munching some fries.

"Eating."

"No. I mean, here… at this table?"

Mike stood up and looked over and under the table; he even circled it once before plopping down next to her again. "Yo, Blondie, I don't see your name written on the freakin' table. Just eat. And let me eat."

Kara frowned and turned away. As she ate her potstickers, she heard Mike say, "Chinese. Even after I told you…"

"That's her favorite," Winn said. "Kara never says no to potstickers."

Kara smiled awkwardly with a mouthful of potstickers. Mike looked at her and smiled. He shook his head and turned his attention to Winn, asking him about his first day of work.

Kara could see Mike making an effort here. He wasn't that bad. Just smug sometimes. Suddenly, she felt her stomach rumble. Kara covered her mouth with her hand.

Mike looked at her with a smirk. "The restroom is that way," he pointed out. Kara got up and ran. Winn sat quietly, looking at Mike smirk before letting out a loud sigh and getting up to go after Kara.

Mike simply finished his lunch and went back to the office before Kara got there. She did unleash the devil. She had to pay the price.

* * *

Almost fifteen minutes later, when Kara walked into the office and towards her desk, she saw a small can of soda on her table with a stick note beside it that read, 'Drink me. :)'

Kara looked up to see where Mike was. When she spotted him in Clark's office, talking about something, she smiled and took a seat. Kara finished her soda and disposed the can before she went back to continue reading Valor's blog.

Kara turned on the PC and tried to open the blog again but the cursor wasn't moving. She kept moving the mouse around and managed to catch someone's attention. The guy seated right behind her turned in his chair and asked, "You need some help there?"

Turning around, Kara shrugged. "It was working alright this morning; I wonder what happened."

"Little mouse giving you too much trouble? You better get it replaced. The IT guys have few to spare. I'm Braxton, by the way! You can call me Brax." He smiled, holding his hand out for Kara to shake.

"Kara. Nice to meet you, Brax. And yeah, I guess I have to go talk to someone from the IT."

"If you need any help, let me know." Brax gave her a big smile before turning away.

Kara turned to face her desk again. Something made her turn the mouse around and she let out a small gasp. There was a small piece of paper stuck over the sensor. The minute she saw it she knew it was Mike's doing, because there was a troll face over the paper with a single word written over it, 'Problem?'

Kara threw the paper away and looked up to see if Mike was still talking to Clark. But he wasn't there. _Where did he keep running off to?_

Standing up, she looked around to see just how to get back at him. When she saw a full box of colorful rubber bands on Brax's desk, Kara decided to ask, "Hey Brax, if you aren't gonna use those rubber bands today, can I borrow them? I'll get you some tomorrow."

Brax looked up and nodded. "How many do you want, Kara?"

"All of them." She gave him a sheepish smile that he returned with a small chuckle.

"What? Do you really plan on using all of them? The entire box?"

"Something like that." Kara smiled and headed straight to Mike's desk, she plopped on his chair and realized it was way more comfortable than hers. Kara decided to swap their chairs. _It's not like Mike would even realize._

And for the next half an hour, she sat in his desk, covering his office phone with colorful rubber bands; she had finished the entire box and looked at the phone proudly, there's no way Mike was getting all these off quickly, certainly not when he has an important call.

Grinning, she went back to her desk. Mike returned in less than ten minutes after she had settled down. He was busy texting on his phone that he hadn't noticed what Kara had done to his office phone. When he finally looked at it, his eyes fell on Kara first before narrowing. "Not funny, Blondie!"

Kara stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. "Very funny, you troll." She held up the little paper with the troll picture on it for Mike to see.

"I didn't do that." Mike shrugged before taking the scissors and cutting all the rubber bands at once.

"HEY!" Kara called loudly, making him look up at her again. "It took me half an hour to put all those on! How could you! Why couldn't you just let those stay for a while?"

"Stupid Blondie!" Mike made a face and went back to texting someone again.

Kara was furious. Not only was he playing pranks on her, he even dared to lie about those. Without thinking twice, she marched up to his desk and grabbed his phone right from his hands.

Mike jumped on his feet and demanded, "Give it back, Blondie, or it's gonna be bad."

"Really?" Kara smirked. "Let's see who you are texting! Oooh… Cat! A hot date, huh? You just wait!" Kara furiously typed something and pressed send just as Mike snatched his phone away.

Mike's eyes widened looking at the text she had just sent to Cat. _'Sorry, but I'm really not into older women. Kara is more of my type. Oh, I even moan her name in bed! And when I do i—'_ The text was obviously incomplete but he knew the damage was done. Kara was going to pay for this. Bad.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well... cliffhanger! Can you guess what's going to happen next? :D

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and leaving a review, guys! Things are heating up! ;)

* * *

 **Chapter** **12**

"Oh! Oops!" Kara fake-pouted then burst out laughing. "I'm soooo _not_ sorry for sending that to Cat."

"You will be!" Mike glared at her and quickly called back Cat but she didn't answer her phone. He mentally cursed himself for letting this joke get out of hand. He hadn't known Cat for a long time, five days weren't even considered a 'get-to-know-each-other' period. He wasn't going to lie, he liked Cat. He liked how confident she was. Most women fell for his charming act in a matter of minutes, but it took him 43 hours to impress Cat, and Blondie had just ruined it.

Kara was busy giggling at him that she hadn't noticed the tall Blonde shooting daggers at her, standing right behind her. Mike looked up and gave Cat an apologetic smile. "I can expl—"

Cat shook her head and cut him off. "Nuh uh! You don't talk now. I do the talking. _I_ am Catherine Jane Grant and _no one_ , I repeat, NO ONE says no to me. Do you understand?"

Mike nodded quietly. He sighed in relief when he saw Cat smirk at him. "Come on, lover, let's talk about hotter, older women!" Saying that, she grabbed his arm and dragged him off to the break room. Kara's mouth fell open. Mike hadn't even protested. And here she thought they had connected!

Braxton was looking at Kara and when he called her name, she jumped. "Oh sorry," he apologized quickly. "Didn't mean to scare you. Friendly advice, Kara, stay away from Cat. If she likes a man, she gets him. One way or the other. And Mike looks like he likes the attention. Trust me, no one can resist Cat Grant."

Kara nodded quietly. "So… I'm guessing you and Cat were once…?"

"Some of us are not that lucky." Brax laughed.

"Okay." Kara let out a loud sigh. "I'm gonna go now!" Saying that, she turned around and headed straight to the break room. She walked in to see three men watching the news and talking about something. They greeted her politely as she walked in. Kara was surprised that they knew who she was. She greeted them back and moved past them. The break room was big but it only had one smaller room in the corner and the door was closed. She went and tried it. Luckily, it wasn't locked.

Kara walked in and her jaw dropped when she saw Cat Grant almost half naked, seated on the desk, her legs wrapped around Mike's waist. He was busy kissing her neck but when he saw Cat look up just as she was undoing his belt buckle, his eyes widened seeing Kara leaning against the wall outside, looking shocked. Kara scrunched up her face when she saw Cat kiss him. But Mike was too busy looking at Kara.

Cat let out a sigh before turning to face Kara. "Keira, dear, close the door on your way out." Cat smirked at her and went back to kissing Mike's neck. He simply shrugged and got back to kissing Cat.

Kara felt like she was going to throw up. She closed her mouth with her hand and ran out, not really closing the door behind her. She felt sick and she had to get the rotten image of Mike and Cat kissing out of her mind.

Before she knew it, she was heading straight to Clark's office. She had to let him know about what Cat and Mike were doing at work. His office was now covered with blinds and here she thought there were none. Maybe Clark needed privacy sometimes too.

She walked in straight without knocking and was surprised to see Clark leaning against the wall, and their mother seated at his desk. Martha looked up from the paperwork she was reading. She pushed her glasses further back and gave her daughter a quick smile.

"Hi, honey, what are you doing here?" Martha asked, putting away the papers and sitting back in chair.

"Mom, I… why are _you_ here?" Kara asked in surprise.

"You are really asking the company's vice president why she's here?" Clark asked with a small smile. He looked tensed, very unlike her usually cheerful brother.

"What? Wait, I thought you were only a shareholder, since when are you the vice president?" Kara couldn't contain her surprise. She always thought it was Clark and Bruce Wayne running the company.

"I know I don't come to the office often, but that's only because I'm off having meetings outside and organizing events." Martha smiled again. "Anyway, dear, anything important? Because Clark and I were just talking about the wedding and our dear Diana's parents." Martha didn't look happy as she said that.

"What have they done now?" Kara took a seat and turned to look at her brother, who simply sighed.

"He's coming to the wedding," Clark said. "Despite knowing Lyta won't be there if he comes. And he insists on walking Diana down the aisle and doing all the fatherly stuff he didn't really do for the last twenty years or something."

"When have you told him the wedding is?"

"In three months. We haven't really given anyone a date."

Kara nodded hearing her brother's words; she then turned to face her mother. "How fast can we plan a wedding? A month?"

"What are you saying, baby? This is a wedding. A month… I don't think we can."

"All I'm saying is, we all work together, get these two married and then we can just tell Mr. Z they eloped! He isn't even following his daughters on Instagram, he won't know, Mom."

Martha looked up at Clark, who simply nodded. "Kara has a point. I don't want that man at my wedding. He's just going to ruin everything! And a month is fine. I don't want anything too… complicated."

Kara raised a single brow at that word. She had been hearing it a lot lately. Standing up, she went to him and threw her arms around his shoulders. "It's okay, Bro. We're all going to work on this, and Z won't be able to do anything!"

Clark hugged her back and smiled. "Okay. Now, why aren't you working? Mike's on a new case, and I thought he was walking you through it."

Kara suddenly remembered what she wanted to tell him, but she decided not to. And yes, Mike and his new case!

"Oh yeah, I'm helping him out with that. You don't mind if I tag along with him when he goes out, do you?" Kara asked him, but she also glanced at her mother once.

"We at the Daily Planet believe teamwork offers us the better results," Martha spoke. "So, yes, I think you should be going out there with Mike and working with him on this case. It might get dangerous, but if you feel it's the right thing to do, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

Kara grinned happily. "And I thought you were _just_ a shareholder."

"Oh, honey, if I turn out to be a spy, you would still think I'm just a shareholder." Martha smiled. "Now go, it's getting late. And last I checked, we were all having a nice family dinner later."

"Is Donna coming?" Kara asked quickly as she pulled the door open.

"Yes, and Winn, too. Why don't you ride back home with me?" Martha asked while packing up her stuff. "That is, if your work is done."

"I can ask Mike if he has something more for me."

"You do that, Kara." Clark waved and went back to his desk. Kara said bye to them and walked out quickly.

She noticed that Mike was back at his desk, seriously talking to someone on the phone. At least he was fully dressed this time.

"Yes. What did you hear?" Mike asked as he scribbled down something. When he saw Kara walk past him, he looked up and rolled his eyes at her. "No, there's a difference between a gunshot and a fire cracker… What? NO! What are you even _saying_? No… you give me the address. Wait, what? You really heard that name? You are not mistaken? This is a serious matter, Mr. Casey… Fine. I'll check it out."

As soon as Mike put the phone down, he heard Kara say, "If that's a new case, you are taking me along!"

"And what? Get you killed? No thanks!"

"I'm capable enough to take care of myself, Mike. And I'm coming along whether you like it or not!"

"Stop being stubborn, Blondie. This is alien territory for you!" He rolled his eyes at her once again.

"That's okay! I've seen enough alien movies! Steven Spielberg's are my favorite! Ooh! I've also seen all the Indiana Jones movies. I'm ready for an adventure."

Mike sighed and nodded. "Okay, tomorrow. At 6:30PM sharp, we are going someplace. Just, don't wear a skirt. Not that you don't look good in it. Skirts are… not good for what we are going to do."

"Wha—what are we gonna do?" Kara leaned closer, her eyes wide with excitement.

Mike smiled, moving even closer. "Solve a mystery! Boop!" He booped her nose and winked at her before grabbing his phone and hurrying out of the office.

* * *

 **A/N:** Mike and Cat... Oops!

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Kara had gone home after her chat with Mike. And like Martha had said earlier, the Kents along with Diana, Donna and Winn had a nice dinner outside.

Despite it being a celebration for Kara and Winn's first day at work, the main topic of the conversation was Diana and Donna's father. Their mother had called Martha earlier and told her that if Z came to the wedding, she wasn't going to be there. And now, Jonathan, Martha, Clark and Diana were busy talking about pushing the wedding forward.

Donna was bored, but she had a look that clearly said she was annoyed. Her father was causing unwanted problems and she would punch him if he was anywhere near her now. So this did make her drink a lot. And by the time dinner was over, Winn was carrying her out to the car.

"I'm taking her to my place, Kare bear. Do you want a ride tomorrow or will you manage?" Winn asked, as he helped Donna get in.

"I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind giving me a ride, but I think I need to take my beetle out soon."

Winn grinned. "Now that would be a sight. The car that you drive once in a blue moon. But yeah, if you want I'll have it serviced once before you drive."

"You're the best!" Kara reached out to hug him. Winn patted her back before pulling away. "You'll be okay with Doe? She might throw up later and say some pretty mean things to you."

"Yeah. She's drinking all her worries." Winn sighed loudly. "That's not healthy at all. I'll have a word with her later."

"Kara!" They heard Jonathan call her. Saying goodbye to Winn, Kara went back in to say goodbye to Clark and Diana. She went home with her parents and headed straight to bed.

Kara was undressing and putting on a t-shirt when her phone started to buzz. Thinking it would be Winn texting her to update on Donna, she opened it only to scrunch her face. It was a picture of Mike in a bar, with a certain Miss Grant sitting on his lap, kissing his cheek. Kara was about to delete the picture but stopped herself, this was leverage against Mike.

Smirking, she was about to text him when her phone buzzed again. It was a text from Mike that read, _'Shit! Blondie, sorry. I was sending it to my buddy Ricky! YOU DELETE IT RIGHT NOW BLONDIE! I AIN'T JOKIN!'_

Giggling, Kara typed in a quick reply. _'You wish! :P Wait till the whole office sees this!'_

 _'_ _Don't cross me, woman! You'll pay for it!'_

 _'_ _Threatening me, Mike? Real classy!'_

 _'_ _Keep your windows close tonight, Blondie.'_

Kara stiffened, her windows were wide open and she couldn't really trust Mike. Throwing her phone on the bed, she ran to close them all shut. Then she picked up her phone and typed. _'I live in the first floor. Unless you can climb a pipe SHIT! I SHOULDN'T BE TELLING YOU THIS!'_

She got another picture from Mike with him making a goofy face. Smiling, she saved it and added it to his contact. Kara was just glad Cat wasn't next to him to ruin it this time. _'Tomorrow. 6:30. Don't forget. Since it's your death wish… I warned ya, Blondie. Miss me! Kiss.'_

 _'_ _Eww! I don't want your sloppy kisses! See you tomorrow, dudebro!'_

Kara got under her sheets and turned off the night lamp, but she was still looking at her phone for his reply. Ten minutes later, she sighed and kept the phone away. Just then her phone buzzed and Kara picked it up, grinning widely to see what he had just texted.

Mike had sent a picture of him showing her the finger. _'Love ya, Blondie.'_

Kara was pissed; she put the phone back on the side table and slid under the covers again. She was in no mood to reply to him. She would just face the devil tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, Kara woke up late and ended up missing breakfast. She had to take her beetle out since her mother had already left.

Kara almost ran a red light but managed to reach in time. She wore a pair of red pants and a black and white checkered t-shirt and a dark blue jacket over it. She held her mustard scarf as she ran towards the elevator. When she finally reached the twentieth floor, Kara walked in calmly, her eyes searching for Mike. _What if he complains she was late? But he wasn't really her boss so why should she care?_ Once again, the man was nowhere to be seen.

Brax greeted her when she reached her desk. With a quick 'Hi, Brax!', Kara dumped her bag on the chair and headed straight to the break room to make herself some coffee.

Just as she had finished making her coffee and was about to take a sip, she felt someone take the cup from her hands and say, "You really wore red pants with a yellow scarf today…"

Kara turned around and frowned at Mike who was drinking her coffee, still checking her out.

"Give me back my coffee, Mike."

"Hey! If you are worried it's bad, don't be. It's drinkable. Anyway, I sent you an email last night about the case details, I was expecting a reply, but I guess you were just busy doing stuff…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Kara mock-punched his arm and walked out of the break room, not before grabbing herself some juice and a cold sandwich. "I was having dinner with family, not getting laid. And talking about getting laid, I'm guessing you sure had a great night."

Seeing Kara roll her eyes, Mike smirked. "I had a blast, thanks for asking. And what's that I'm sensing? Jealousy? You jealous, Blondie?"

"Yeah right! Who would be jealous for _you_? And I didn't check your mail last night because I was busy," Kara explained. "With the wedding coming up, there's a lot to do. I'll check the mail now."

"Yeah? Whose wedding?" Mike scratched his head before placing the cup on his desk and taking something out of his backpack.

"The guy whose engagement party you ruined," Kara replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Is that sarcasm I'm sensing, Blondie? Don't go there, I'm the King of sarcasm!" Saying that, Mike dialed a number and walked away, talking to someone on the phone.

Kara sighed and opened the bag of sandwich and sat munching on it. She turned on her PC and was about to open her email but she wasn't able to open it. Kara repeatedly clicked on the icon. She finally groaned and tried to open another folder. Still nothing. As she kept moving the mouse around and slamming the keys, she heard Brax say, "Hey, Kara. If you have any issues with the computer, I suggest you get someone from IT to look at it, okay?"

Kara turned around to see it was not just Brax but a lot of people were looking at her in disapproval. She gave them an apologetic smile. When they turned away, she grabbed her phone and ran out. Heading straight to the seventeenth floor, Kara made her way to Winn's desk. She saw him talking to someone and laughing about something.

"Winn!" Kara called loudly, making him turn around.

"Hey, Kare bear, everything okay?" Winn stood up and made his way towards her. "Hey! What's wrong?"

"My freaking computer is possessed, and I have to check an important email. Can you help me?"

"Sure. I don't think it's anything serious, sometimes PCs get stuck." Winn followed Kara out and saw her running down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

"Kara, why are you wearing sneakers?"

"Because I woke up late and put on whatever I found. Mike noticed the red pants; can you believe this man? His priorities are messed up!"

Winn smiled and followed her to her desk. When he noticed Mike sitting in his desk, eating a red vine, Winn greeted him.

"Hey, man! Good to see you again!" Mike gave him a bright smile before turning his attention back to his computer.

Kara huffed and switched on her PC again to show Winn what was wrong. He sat on her chair and quickly tried everything she already tried before. Kara could feel Mike's gaze on her. When she looked at him, he smiled at her. Kara couldn't help but smile back. _Mike does look good whenever he smiles. He should be doing it more often_ , she thought.

"Ah-ha!" Winn's cry made her turn to look at him. "Kare bear, looks like someone is playing a prank on you. Someone took a picture of your desktop, made it your wallpaper and moved all the icons away. Hopefully they aren't deleted, so I can fix it."

Kara turned to look at Mike with a glare. He simply shrugged. "Who would play a prank on poor Kara here?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Ha! This is not even a great prank." Winn chuckled. "Turning the screen upside down or replacing commonly used words are my favorites."

Kara grabbed her bag and hit Winn's shoulder with it. "Oww! What is wrong with you? Why are you hitting me?!"

"Stop giving him more ideas!" Kara yelled. She then turned to face Mike and said, "You are going to pay for this, Matthews! You haven't seen me when I'm angry. And I'm so angry right now."

"Can't be tamed, huh?" Mike smirked, getting up. "Why don't you let me take that challenge? I can tame you alright. In my bed."

And before Mike knew it, Kara was throwing her handbag at him and grabbing his backpack and hitting him with it. He grinned and ran away, leaving her huffing and yelling at him.

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Kara hadn't seen Mike all morning after her computer incident. But she wasn't going down without a fight. Once she had checked his email and sent a reply, she headed out to get a box of donuts. Kara had shared some with Winn and Brax after she introduced Brax to Winn.

"He's nice," Winn said once he had grabbed the last glazed one. "Totally your type!"

"Winn, no. Just no! Brax is a friend. I'm not interested in him."

"It doesn't look like Mike's going to pay you any attention. All you do is scold the poor guy. You even hit him!"

"Seriously?" Kara narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you seriously taking his side? You are supposed to be MY best friend!"

"I'm not taking sides. I'm just telling you that if he isn't interested, you should move on." Winn raised his hands up in surrender.

"Like how you can easily move on from Donna?"

Winn frowned. "Low blow, Kent!"

"I'm taking this box. Can you hold this for me?" she asked as she handed Winn the empty donut box and pulled a small bag of broccoli from her handbag.

"What are you doing?" Winn asked in confusion as Kara began to fill the donut box with broccoli.

"This, my dear, is what we call a _revenge_! Revenge is usually sweet, but in this case, its green." Kara grinned as she closed the box and said bye to Winn.

She walked in and headed straight to Mike's desk. He was busy writing something and didn't look up when she came closer. But Mike knew it was Kara, so he simply asked, "What do you want now, Blondie?"

"Hey! I noticed you weren't up at the cafeteria during lunch. Were you skipping because you were busy hooking up with Cat or…"

Mike looked up with a frown. Kara's smile fell. He looked so serious. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"Umm… lunch. You weren't there, so I saved you some." Saying that she placed the donut box on his desk and turned away.

"Blondie, wait! You got me donuts?" Mike asked with a small smile. "Thanks. You didn't have to."

Simply smiling, Kara waved and went back to her seat. Mike opened the box to see broccolis inside and there was a message written for him, 'WE ATE THEM ALL! Have some broccoli!' He looked up, chuckling; Kara who was expecting him to get mad at her, saw him chuckle and ended up smiling. At least he knew how to take a joke.

"Now I'm really hungry," Mike said, looking up at her. "Wanna go out and grab something to eat?"

"Sorry, I just had lunch. I'm pretty sure they are still serving lunch at the cafeteria."

Mike nodded but didn't answer for a few minutes. When his phone buzzed, he picked it up, read a text and smiled. "Oh there we go, looks like I have a date for lunch."

Kara's eyes narrowed as she watched him get up and grab his stuff. "Cat is going to lunch with you? Doesn't she have work to do?"

"Hmm… if we were only having food, then maybe she would be busy…" Mike hinted. "So… no."

"Eww!" Kara made a face as he waved to her and walked away.

* * *

Evening came rather quickly as Kara headed downstairs to see if Mike was waiting for her, since he was very particular about leaving at 6:30 sharp. She pressed the call button on the elevator and stepped in. Few minutes later, Kara was just stepping out of the elevator at the ground floor when she ran into someone. Just as she slipped, she felt this person grab her by her waist and pull her closer.

"Oh, sorry!" she said as she grabbed their shoulders to straighten herself. Pushing the hair out of her face and straightening her glasses, she looked up to see it was Mike.

"Do you have a hair tie?" he asked, turning around and walking out.

"Why do I need one?" Kara asked, following him out to see he was heading towards the parking lot.

"Tie you hair low, Blondie. Then tie your hair up once we get there." Mike wasn't giving away too much and it was bothering Kara.

She caught up with him and asked, "Can you just tell me where we are going? And are we taking your car?"

"No." He shrugged, quickly undoing his tie.

"Why are you even wearing a tie, Mike?"

When Mike looked at her and smirked, Kara knew she was going to regret hearing his answer. "Cat said she liked it when I wore a tie. She likes holding it when we—"

Kara covered her ears and yelled, "STOP! Please stop. I'm sorry I even asked."

Mike chuckled. "Do you have a car, Blondie?"

She nodded and pointed towards her yellow beetle. Mike stopped in his tracks and looked at her in mock-surprise. "A yellow beetle? How predictable! We can't use your car!"

"Why not? Because it's yellow?! I don't judge you because you sleep around, but you judge me for having a yellow car?!"

Mike smiled and shook his head. "Where we are going, yellow will end up attracting trouble. We will just take my ride. And can I keep some of my stuff in your car?"

Kara scratched her head in confusion and nodded. It was getting dark and not to mention this was the underground parking; she saw lights being turned on, but she had parked her car in the farthest end. Kara followed Mike to her car and unlocked it. She looked at him in surprise when she saw him remove his jacket and throw it on the backseat. He pulled something out of his backpack and shoved the bag into her hands.

Kara's eyes widened when she saw him take off his shoes and throw them inside the car. He was now busy undoing his pants.

Mike looked up at her and smirked. "Like what you see, Miss Kent?"

"Why are you getting naked?"

"Umm… I still have my shirt and boxers on! Do you want me to take it all off? Coz I can and we can do it in the car. I don't mind. The backseat looks spacious enough."

"Is sex the _only_ thing in your mind, Matthews?"

"Umm… right now I wouldn't mind seeing you naked. But yeah, I guess sex would be good too." Mike grinned as he pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt from his backpack. Kara wondered what else he had in his backpack; he seemed to be carrying it along all day.

He put on the jeans and removed his shirt and threw it inside the car too. Kara looked at him in disbelief. She loved keeping her _baby_ clean. She barely even drove it around. And this man was dumping his clothes inside it and was not even bothered by it.

Mike was now standing in his jeans and black t-shirt. Kara was really amazed when she saw him pull out a pair of boots and a motorcycle jacket from his backpack.

"You know what I hate about working at an office?" he asked, quickly taking a seat in her car and putting on the boots. "Work clothes. We need to wear a button-down shirt and special pair of shoes for work. I mean… who cares what we wear? Look at you, red pants and yellow scarf!"

"It's mustard, Mike. And it's not red. It's an orangish-red color."

Mike rolled his eyes at her as he stood up and put on his motorcycle jacket. He then said, "Come on, Blondie! It's time to go."

Kara closed the car door and locked the car after her. She followed him out to see him standing near a motorcycle.

"You have a motorbike?"

"Sure do! Best ride ever!" Mike smiled proudly before handing her a helmet. "Tie your hair loose and put that on."

She watched him remove a black bandana and put it on his head before pulling a helmet over his head. He wore his backpack in the front. "Get on!" he said once he sat down. Kara hesitated, but she knew that she was the one asking for an adventure. She tied her hair and put on the helmet and got on. "Hold tight, Blondie!"

Kara's arms wrapped around his tummy and she heard him chuckle. Mike wasn't driving too fast and this was just her first time on a motorbike, but he didn't complain when her hold tightened. Kara liked the wind against her face. This might just be the best ride ever, Mike was right.

Kara's eyes narrowed when she saw him drive out of the city. He was heading outskirts and driving towards the direction of the dark forest.

"Where are we going, Mike?" Kara asked, her voice shaking a bit.

"We're gonna catch some bad bad men, Blondie. Don't you worry now; I'll protect you. You have _nothing_ to worry about." He smiled just as they drove into the woods.

Kara gulped, holding onto him closely. If Mike screwed up and she ended up dead, she knew whom she was going to haunt for the rest of their life.

* * *

 **A/N:** I love Mike. Period. XD Do you?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Kara could feel the air around them growing colder as they went deeper into the forest. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear water flowing. Mike had slowed down the speed as they entered what looked like an abandoned township.

"I had no idea this place even existed," Kara said as Mike slowed down and came to a stop behind an abandoned, old house.

Kara got down first and removed the helmet and tied her hair up in a tight ponytail.

Mike got down and took off his own helmet, but he didn't remove the bandana from his head. Pulling out two flashlights from his bag, he handed one to Kara and said, "Ages ago, Native Americans lived here. Their descendants lived in this town peacefully for many years. But few years ago, the whole town flooded when the dam near the hill broke, and people had to abandon their houses and lands and move to the city. There was a rumor of a haunting. A lady who died in the floods, apparently she haunts the whole area. She wears black, mourns the death of her own people." When Mike felt Kara stiffen next to him, he chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Princess. It's a female ghost; she would probably want me because she will find me hot… Unless she prefers women, then you ain't safe!"

Kara mock-punched his shoulder. He just smiled and said, "I know it's sounds scary, but it's all a myth. There's something bad going on here."

"What do you mean? Is it worse than a haunting?" Kara followed as Mike led the way into the town. It was getting dark now and he blended along well with the shadows thanks to his darker clothes. As for her, her red pants and mustard scarf stood out.

"Old Mr. Casey still lives here. He called in and reported hearing a gunshot. But he isn't sure if it was really a gunshot or a fire cracker," Mike muttered. "Since there aren't people living here it rules out the fire cracker."

"Then how did he hear the gunshot?" Kara asked curiously.

"Seattle is a seaport city. And this is an abandoned town. What we are dealing with is a bunch of pirates."

When Kara saw his smirk, she understood what he was saying. "So, smugglers? Here? But what could they possibly be hiding?"

Mike stopped short and grabbed her upper arm. "What do you smell?"

Kara looked around, sniffing a little. The smell was pungent now that she noticed. "Alcohol?"

"Yes. Some men have been illegally importing alcohol and selling it for thrice the cost. And what's worse, they are importing drugs as well. Their secret hideout is here, in this abandoned town. I want to go there, take some pictures, break the news."

"But isn't it dangerous? You said a gunshot. They could be armed!" Kara was tying to be the voice of the reason here but all Mike did was grin.

He suddenly jumped and made a pose. "I know Karate!"

Kara rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "Sure you do."

"Alright, Princess. Let's keep moving."

"Stop calling me that!"

Mike stopped to look at her. "Why? Oh wait, imagine if I were a real prince and then you fall head over heels in love with me. And then beg me to marry you and I say, "F*ck it! Let's do it! Coz I've been single way too long!" Doesn't that make you my princess?"

Kara's eyes shot up to him. "Why have you been single for too long?"

"What? I never said that!"

"Mike, you literally just said that 2 seconds ago." She rolled her eyes at him just to see him shrug.

Mike scratched his head before saying, "Huh? Crazy! You must be hallucinating. Enough talking, let's do some crime solving!"

To her surprise, Mike grabbed her hand and slowly started leading her deeper into the woods. She wasn't complaining. The place was dark and cold; Mike's warm hand was the only assurance she needed that she was safe with him.

They walked for a while before she could see a light ahead. Mike was taking deep breaths, his other fist curling in and out. Suddenly, he pushed her against a tree and said, "There's a house of some kind ahead. That's the only place that's lit up. Mr. Casey isn't here; he went to visit his sister. So I suggest you stay here; I'll go there, get the pictures and come back soon. Don't follow me."

Seeing Mike walk away, a strange feeling began to set in, and Kara wanted none of that. She ran after him and grabbed his arm. "I'm not going to stay back and let you do all the hero stuff alone! Partners, remember?"

Mike shook his head. "It's too dangerous for you. And I'll be in and out in few minutes. You won't even know."

"Not listening to you, Mike!" Saying that, Kara sauntered off, despite Mike's protests that she needed to stay in the shadows. "Stop being a sourpuss! I can take care of myself!" Kara was busy frowning at Mike that she hadn't even noticed the man who stood in front of her. She crashed against his well-built chest and almost fell back. Mike caught her in time.

"Oh look what we have here!" The man with multiple tribal tattoos whistled. "A nice, hot blonde walking straight into our den."

"What? You think you are a lion or something?" Kara asked in disgust. "Have you even seen your face in the mirror lately? Maybe a nice bath will help get all the dirt off you!"

When she felt Mike's hold on her upper arm tighten, she looked up at him to see him glaring. Mike turned to look at the man and said, "I'm sorry, Sir; my girl and I were just driving past the town and our car broke down. We'll get out of your hair."

The place was dark and the only light they could see was coming from the flashlights Mike and Kara had dropped earlier when she ran into this man.

The man looked at Mike and said, "You can go. The girl stays. My boys and I haven't had fresh meat in ages!"

"Eww! He's a cannibal!" Kara cried, already too disgusted.

Mike pulled her even closer and whispered in her ear, "Shut up now or they will kill us both!"

Kara was going to protest but when she felt a hand on her butt, she jumped. "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME, YOU BIG ASSHAT!" she yelled at the man.

"Come on, baby, you liked it! Leave this boyband dropout and come with us!"

As the man grabbed Kara's hand, he heard Mike say in a low, stern voice, "Let her go now or else you will never be able to use that arm again."

The other men chuckled. The second guy said, "Yo, Lucien, boyband is angry! Poor baby, we pissed him off. Ha-ha!" In the darkness, the man hadn't noticed the punch aimed at him. It was so fast and powerful that it not just broke his nose but also threw him on his back.

The man, Lucien, who was holding Kara, narrowed his eyes at Mike. Mike aimed a kick on his wrist and Lucien yelled in pain, letting go of Kara's hand.

"Stand back!" Mike shouted at Kara as he grabbed Lucien's right arm under his shoulder and twisted it so badly that they heard a crunch. Lucien was now yelling in pain as Mike turned around, spun the man so he fell on the ground. He stomped on the man's shoulder with his heel making him cry. One more forceful kick, and Mike had dislocated the man's shoulder.

He was furious. His eyes shone bright in the little moonlight that escaped the clouds. He launched himself on the third man, punched him repeatedly till he fell to the ground, almost lifeless.

Mike looked up to see Kara looking at him in horror. She had closed her mouth with her hands. "Shh! It's okay," he muttered softly as he grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the woods. "I'm going in, and you _have_ to stay here, do you hear me?" His voice was so stern that Kara nodded wordlessly. He touched her cheek gently and said, "I'll be back soon." With that, he turned around and walked towards the house again.

When Mike saw Lucien crawling in pain towards the house, he removed the bandana from his head, tied it over his mouth and grabbed Lucien by his shirt and dragged him all the way towards the house. Once reaching the steps, he bashed Lucien's head against one and said in an ice-cold, spine-chilling voice, "No one touches my girl and lives."

There was only one light in the house and Mike guessed that's where all the rats would be hiding. He saw a metal rod lying outside in the porch. Grabbing that, Mike kicked the door open and shouted, "I'M HOME, BITCHES! COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow! That's a... shocking personality change? Oh, don't be surprised! XD I did say my Mike is a perfect combination of Mon-El and Kai Parker, not just psyKAItic as Kai. How did you like this? What do you think happened to Mike?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Kara Kent was not the adventurous type of a girl, she knew that very well. And despite Mike's multiple warnings, she insisted on coming to this place with him.

Seeing Mike snap at those men sent a chill down her spine. She hugged herself, leaning against a tree.

They were lucky that Mike knew Karate. Kara dreaded to think what would have happened if Mike couldn't fight. Those men looked dangerous and she had foolishly yelled at them. As the air around her grew colder, Kara hugged herself tighter only to jump when she felt something fall over her shoulders.

She turned around to see it was Mike and he had just draped his motorcycle jacket over her.

"Let's go," he said, handing her back the flashlight she had dropped earlier.

"Mike, were there more people in there?" Kara asked, grabbing his arm in hurry, not wanting to lose him in the dark.

"Not really. I just sneaked in and got what I wanted." And that was the last thing he had said till he brought her back to the office.

The ride back to the office was quiet. Kara had wrapped her arms around him and had fallen asleep leaning against his back. When he had finally stopped his bike after pulling outside the office, Mike patted her arm, waking her up.

Kara woke up to see that they were outside The Daily Planet. "We are here already?" she asked before getting down.

"Sorry it's late. You were asleep so I drove back slowly. Can you get home in one piece?" Seeing Kara yawn, Mike shook his head and gave her a small smile as he removed his helmet.

"Do you think you can get a ride back to the office tomorrow morning? If you can, I'll take you home. Leave your car here."

"You'll do that? Thank you!" Kara smiled brightly.

Nodding, Mike got off and said, "Can I just go grab my stuff from your car? I'll take you home after that."

"Sure. Here's the key." Kara pulled out the car keys from her bag and handed it over to him. She leaned against his motorbike and waited for him. When he returned, he wordlessly gestured for to get on.

"So where do you live?" he asked once he pulled onto the road. Kara gave him the address only to see that he didn't know where that was. So she ended up showing him the direction.

Finally reaching her home, he pulled out his phone and used the Maps to see which route to take to get back home.

"Thanks for the ride, Mike," Kara said once she got down. "And I'm sorry I didn't listen to you earlier. That was really stupid of me."

"It's okay, Kara. No harm done. Just… let's not talk about this again, okay?"

The somber tone worried Kara. He was never _this_ serious and he called her _Kara_! The last time he had been remotely this serious was when she had called it a mistake, sleeping with him… and for a minute the cheerful, goofy Mike was gone, replaced by someone she didn't want to know.

Mike could see the curiosity mixed with panic in her eyes. She was an open book, the easiest to read. He knew she was thinking about the incident earlier and he had to distract her. Putting on his trademark smirk, he asked, "So you live in the first floor? Where exactly?"

Kara's eyes widened in surprise. Her Mike was back! She smiled before saying, "My room is on the right. And there's no pipe for you to climb!"

"Really now? I can always try climbing without the pipe." He grinned as he looked up to where she was pointing. His smile fell when he realized just who lived next door. "Isn't that Barry's window? It faces yours?"

"Yeah! How did you know?"

Mike shrugged. "They have had this house for ages. I used to come here when I was a kid. They have a nice, big pool; we used to swim together."

Kara giggled before asking, "Wait, you are saying you were friends with Barry?"

"Kinda. But like I said before, it's been years." Mike was about to put on his helmet again when Kara grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Mike, what happened?"

"Blondie, I get that you wanna spend time with me, but I really need to get home and finish that article and see if Cat is up for… you know…"

Kara's smile fell. Of course it had to be Cat Grant! Suddenly, Cat had climbed up her list of 'Most Hated' people, and she was currently #1. Mike couldn't help but chuckle seeing her expression. He leaned closer and kissed her cheek softly. "Miss me, Blondie! And don't forget to dream about me; who knows if I'll be wearing any clothes…"

Kara scrunched her face, and he laughed as he tapped her forehead. "Crinkle." Mike turned the key in the ignition and put his backpack on his back. Putting on his helmet, he winked at her and drove off into the night.

* * *

Sighing, Kara turned around and made her way to the house. She pulled out her key and opened the door. Walking in, she saw someone moving around in the kitchen.

"Kara, you're home?" Jonathan asked, walking out to give her a hug. "What happened, Princess? Why are you late?"

"Hi daddy. Sorry, I was working late. What are you doing up?"

"Making myself some coffee. Did you have something to eat?"

"No. I'm not really hungry."

Jonathan shook his head. "Nonsense. I'll make you a PB&J sandwich and share my coffee with you. Why don't you go upstairs and freshen up?"

Kara gave him a big smile before nodding and heading upstairs. She decided to take a warm shower and was taking off her clothes only to realize she still wore Mike's jacket. And her dad had seen her with it!

Kara took it off and folded it neatly. She would return it to him the next morning. She grabbed her pajamas and went to take a shower. When she returned downstairs, she saw her father pouring himself another cup of coffee.

"Is everything okay, daddy? Why aren't you sleeping right now?" Kara asked, walking into the kitchen.

Jonathan plated her sandwich and kept it on the counter before pouring her some coffee. "Can't stop thinking about the wedding, Kare bear. Clark is stressed out, and I can't stop worrying about him."

"Daddy, it's gonna be okay. I know Clark is worried, but see how nicely Diana is handling this situation."

"Yeah." Jonathan smiled. "I'm really happy she's going to be my daughter-in-law soon. She's a great kid… Anyway, how's work going for you?"

"Oh, it's good! Really good," Kara said before taking a big bite of her sandwich.

"So are we going to talk about it?" Jonathan asked quietly.

"About what?"

"Barry."

Kara sighed and shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Honey, I thought you were serious about Barry. What happened exactly? One minute you were talking about going to Marseille with him, next he leaves to New York and you barely talk about him. Imagine my surprise when Henry calls to tell me that my daughter broke up with his son, and I didn't even know."

"Daddy, we wanted different things from life. He wanted to move to New York. He told me he wants me to move with him. He just planned it all out, and I didn't want that. I wasn't ready to leave my family and friends just because he wanted me to."

"But you love him."

"Well, for a long time I thought I did. But right now, I don't even know what I feel anymore."

There was a small smile playing on Jonathan's face. "There's someone else in your life."

"Was that a question?"

"Statement. Motorcycle jacket, huh? He better treat you well."

"But, daddy…" Kara was about to protest when Jonathan shook his head.

"Princess, I'm older, and I do know better than you. Just promise me you will never compromise when it comes to your happiness."

Kara smiled and nodded. "I promise."

"Good!" Jonathan finished the rest of his coffee in a big gulp and kept the mug away before walking back to where Kara was seated. He ruffled her hair before saying, "Don't forget to use protection!"

"DADDY… NOOOO!" Kara cried as Jonathan gave her a knowing smile and walked away.

* * *

 **A/N:** Daddy Kent is awesome! Scary Mike is cool too. What do you think?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Clark Joseph Kent was a hard nut to crack. Those who knew him too well knew that he was totally dedicated towards his job and bringing the best news to The Daily Planet was his priority. So when the previous night brought him a very cranky yet hungry fiancée needing a midnight snack. He was busy making her a cheese omelette as his phone buzzed hinting an emergency message. Clark had opened his email to see the most unexpected news, but still something he was looking forward to.

Mike Matthews had sent him an article on busting a smuggling ring outskirts of Seattle. Clark had a huge grin on his face as he served Diana the omelette, giving her a loud kiss before running into his study to fetch his laptop. And for the next forty-five minutes, he was busy having a conference call with Mike, Eloise Bailey, Leon Phillips and Dominic Miles. Mike's article was going to be on their front page.

So, when he woke up this morning, Clark was in a great mood. He was humming a tune as he made breakfast. Bought coffee for the whole office, but made sure his sister got her favorite _weak_ tea, like how Donna teased her.

If anyone had seen him that morning, they would have thought he won himself a lottery. With a big smile plastered on his face, he walked into the office, a large double espresso in hand. Stopping at Kara's desk, to kiss her head before waving a walking away.

Kara sat back in her chair and scratched her chin. Why was Clark in such a great mood? Then suddenly things started making sense, she got up and ran after him. Walking into his office, she asked, "Did you run away to Vegas and get married?"

Clark burst out laughing. "No, silly. I'm guessing you didn't read the morning's news?" Saying that, Clark grabbed his iPad, opened their website and showed her the breaking news.

Kara leaned against the wall and read the article written by Mike. He was a great writer, she had to give him that. But a small gasp escaped her lips when she saw him mentioning her and crediting her for working with him.

"Your first week at DP and you already worked a big case and made it front page!" Clark called out excitedly. "I'm so proud of you, Kara. Be ready, you'll be getting a lot of calls congratulating you for your hard work."

"But, Clark, you and I both know Mike did most of the work. I mean, he did everything. I just went along with him. Why am I even getting credit?"

Clark shrugged, removing his coat and putting it on his chair. "Maybe because Mike feels you have contributed enough to be credited?"

Kara gave him a small nod. "Okay, I should… umm… get back to work."

"See you, Sis. And hey, lunch is on me. Choose wherever you wanna go." Clark gave her a big smile and went back to working on his computer.

Kara stepped out of his office, sighing lightly before heading to her desk. Mike was nowhere to be seen. Kara wondered if he had a secret spot at the office where he worked.

Just as Kara walked out, and Clark sat writing an email to Bruce, the door opened and Eloise walked in. Clark looked up and raised a single brow. "What's up, Bailey?"

"Kent, this whole smuggling ring thing, it's bigger than we thought it is. I mean, the news."

"Sit down. I know it's big, but we got what we wanted. The gang was taken in. We broke one of the biggest news, Bailey."

"Did we? Those men were not _arrested_ , Clark. They were taken to a hospital! All seven of them!" Clark sat back in his chair and gestured for her to go on. Sighing, Eloise said, "Okay, here's the thing. Mike goes in, gets pictures, gets evidence and comes back. Not a soul saw him? Is he a ninja?"

"He must have sneaked in. Big deal! The guy brought us news. How? I don't care."

"Clark, seven men were beaten up. Badly. Only one is able to talk," Eloise explained. "Look, I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, certainly not Mike. But after Mike finished getting his evidence, someone went in and trashed these men horribly. I want to question one of those men; I mean, the one who's able to talk."

Clark shook his head. "I can't let you do that. This is Mike's case. I can't let you take over since it's done and closed."

"Please, Kent. You need to trust me on this. I know something is up. Let me just go talk to this man. If there's nothing to be found, I promise I'll drop this."

Running his fingers through his hair, Clark let out a sigh before nodding. "Fine. Go. But remember if it's nothing, we drop this for good."

Eloise gave him a small smile and nodded. "I promise."

* * *

It was almost lunch time when Kara finally saw Mike running into the office, with lots of papers in his hand while he talked to someone on the phone. He almost lost his footing, dropping all the papers on the floor.

Mike let out a curse as he knelt down to pick up what he had dropped. "Steve, let me call you in 5. Sure." Cutting the call, he pocketed his phone to see Kara kneeling in front of him, grabbing the papers.

She stood up and handed them to him. "You okay?" she asked in concern. She could see the tiredness in his eyes. His usually bright eyes were dull, as if he had lost something big, and he was unable to find it.

"I'm okay," he muttered. "Thanks." Taking the papers from her, he headed to his desk. He hadn't even cracked a smile or said something inappropriate. This worried Kara a lot. But instead of going to talk to him, she went to the break room and made some coffee for him.

When Kara returned to her desk, she placed the mug of steaming coffee on Mike's desk and walked away. He looked up and let out a sigh. Giving her a small, grateful smile, he sipped his coffee.

"Did you sleep at all?" Kara asked.

Mike chuckled lightly. "Barely. Was working all night and then got an important call and rest is history. I'll probably take a nap in one of those cool nap pods in the break room. What about you? Did you sleep well?"

"Oh yeah. I guess I did. Anyway, I have your jacket with me."

Mike smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Keep it for now. I'll get it from you before I head home."

Kara nodded and got back to her work.

Clark had been expecting Eloise's call for a while now. It was around 1PM and he was taking Kara out for lunch. Just as he got up to put on his jacket, the door opened and Kara walked in just as his phone rang.

He asked Kara to give him a minute before picking up Eloise's call. "Bailey, what is it? What did you find?"

"The one who managed to speak has a broken leg. Apparently he's the one with the least damage. Anyway, he says this guy must be a gang member. He wore all black, had a black bandana covering his face. His description is very vague but what I got is, he must be around 30. Tall, athletic built. His voice, which the man cannot forget, was as cold as ice."

Clark's eyes shot up to Kara. Suddenly a seed of doubt growing in his mind. "Bailey, you said 'black', all black, are you sure?"

"Positive. But here's the thing, I had a chat with the Sherriff. He says it was a member of some rival gang. And he's left no fingerprints, nothing that can be used to trace back to him. Sherriff says whoever this man was, he just helped them capture lots of bad men so they are dropping this. Whoever this man in black was, no one is going after him."

"Right. I'll call you later, okay?" Clark cut the call and turned to face Kara. "Kara, I need to know something. You said you went with Mike. What did he wear?"

Kara shrugged. "Black motorcycle jacket. Why?"

"What was the color of his bandana?" Clark's voice was stern, and he had his arms crossed across his chest.

Kara frozen. How did Clark know? Just how much did he know? "Black," she muttered.

Clark let out a loud sigh before kneading his temple. "Listen, I need to cancel lunch. There's something I have to take care of an—"

Kara cut him off by saying, "He was protecting me! He warned me to stay in the shadows and not talk. But I didn't listen, Clark. I just thought I could do it without his help. There were these three men. Big, dangerous looking men. One of them touched my… butt. And Mike just… he fought them since they wanted me."

"How many men?" Clark asked in a low voice.

"Three," she replied with a sigh.

"Fine. Go now. I'll talk to you later. Send Mike in."

Kara's face fell. Mike was in trouble. Oh, she could just say that by reading Clark's expression. Kara walked out and let Mike know that Clark wanted to talk to him. And suddenly she knew why Mike was tensed all along. He nodded and walked away.

Mike went to Clark's office and pushed the door open. "May I come in?"

"Yes, Mike. Please, have a seat."

Clark was seated, looking all professional, ready to talk business. He could see the coolness oozing in the air. That was something Mike carried with him. He looked impassive, not giving away anything.

Mike sat down and asked, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I know about those men. The seven you took on. How bad was the damage?"

"Enough to keep them at a hospital for couple of months." Mike shrugged nonchalantly.

"Kara tells me you were protecting her. Why even take her to this place?"

To Clark's surprise, Mike let out a cold chuckle. "You guys confuse me. You want something, but when that happens you don't want that. You, Mr. Kent, sure taught your little sister how to spread her wings out. She became a journalist because she looked up to you, right? But now that she's ready to fly, you are cutting off the same wings. Kara is not a child, stop treating her like one. She wanted to come along despite my warnings; now that was _her_ decision. And as for me doing what I think was in my best interest, you don't get a say in it. That is how I work. That is how I _will_ work."

"We at the Daily Planet do not tolerate such violent behavior, Mike."

Mike stood up, nodding quickly. "Good. Since we are on the same page, let me just tell you I'm not going to change the way I am for you, Sir. With all due respect, I will have my paper on your desk tomorrow if you feel I do not fit in. Thank you." Saying that, Mike confidently walked out, leaving Clark speechless.

* * *

 **A/N:** Damn! Clark vs Mike hurts me! Will Mike lose his job?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Mike walked back to his desk; he was feeling at ease now. His trademark smirk back on his face. He was never the one to sit at a desk and listen to the boss's orders. He was a free soul and no one had the power to restrain him.

When he saw Kara look up at him in concern. He gave her a bright smile. "Hi," he greeted.

"Hi, what happened?"

Mike shrugged. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. You aren't going out for lunch?"

"Yeah. I was just waiting for Winn." Kara smiled. "So, you've been here for few weeks, right? Have you seen all of Seattle yet? Or at least the tourist spots?"

Mike laughed and shook his head. "Cat took me to couple of nightclubs. But that's it. I did try some takeouts near my place. The Indian one was really good. But I do miss good Chinese." Mike starting walking out with Kara by his side. He pressed the elevator button and stepped back.

"There's this great Chinese place near my old school. Winn, Donna and I used to go there all the time. It's like a tradition. We go there twice in a month if we can help it. Why don't you join me for dinner tonight? That's the least I can do after you protected me and also gave me credit when there was absolutely no need."

"You did well, Blondie. And yeah, I would love to check out this Chinese place with you. I really hope they serve drinks, because I'm in need of a beer."

Kara grinned. Finally. She summed up the courage and asked him out, and he said yes! Just as she was mentally cheering herself, she saw Winn step out of the elevator.

"Oh hey guys, I just came to see if you wanna join me for lunch!"

"Winn, my man, Kara was just telling me about her favorite Chinese restaurant!" Mike called; he missed Kara's expression who was desperately gesturing him to stop. But did he? Not a chance. "You should join us tonight, buddy. Bring Donna along. I would love to meet her. Officially."

Kara looked at Winn, narrowing her eyes and shaking her head lightly. But Winn was too busy being happy that Mike asked him to bring Donna along. Winn wanted to introduce Mike to Donna at Clark's engagement party, but he never found the chance. But now he could do it.

"I would love to join you guys! And I'm sure Donna is up for it too!" Winn grinned, reaching his hand out to give Mike a high-five.

"Great! Blondie, text me the time and place. I'll see you then," Mike said as he moved away and headed towards the stairway. "Oh, if you can, include a map link."

"Wait, aren't you going to join us for lunch?" Kara asked in surprise when she saw him walk down.

"Sorry, Cat texted." Mike gave her a small smile before waving and walking away.

Kara sighed in disappointment. She wanted to tell Winn to cancel tonight but when she noticed that he was already talking to Donna on the phone, she let it go.

Mike went downstairs and turned around the corner and ran into someone. He caught the person and smiled when he saw it was Cat.

"Hey Mike," she said, greeting him with a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hey Cat! Lunch?" he asked, quickly pressing the elevator button. Cat usually preferred to have lunch outside and some fresh air would be nice.

"Sure. But hold on, we need to talk." She crossed her arms across her chest. "I know what happened, Mike. With the smuggling ring case."

Mike let out a sigh. "Are you gonna yell at me?"

"Babe, why would I yell at you?" Cat rolled her eyes at him. "I'm on your side, Matthews. Just get that through your thick skull. Clark can't fire you. You have a three-month contract. Neither of you can violate the terms. Let him know that you know how it works, Mike. Don't let him use you like this. You just gave them the biggest news they have had in months! And that too in your very first week." Cat put a finger over his chin and made him look at her. "Mike, Clark cannot take the decision alone, you know that right?"

"The other boss, yeah."

"Bruce Wayne is flying down tomorrow."

Mike stiffened. "Why? To fire me?"

"No. I know Bruce well. He will be on your side. Trust me." To Mike's surprise, Cat threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. She patted his back. "Hey! You are so strong. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. However you deal with a situation, violent or not, this is you."

Mike placed his hands on her waist and buried his face against her neck. Cat was just a friend, or more than a friend, but certainly not a girlfriend. She didn't have to make him feel better. But since she was doing it out of the good of her heart, he was just glad to have her by his side.

When Mike pulled away and gave her a big smile, Cat leaned closer to give him a quick kiss. What they hadn't noticed was that Winn had been looking at them from the stairs above, clearly seeing Cat comfort Mike. If Kara ever found out, she would freak out. Winn knew that all too well.

* * *

Evening came pretty soon and Kara was standing outside her favorite Chinese place with Winn and Donna. Winn busy talking to someone on the phone, and Donna chewing a gum, looking around to see if Mike was here or not.

"He stood us up," Donna stated before wrapping her gum in a small paper and throwing it in the trash. "I hate men like that."

"Probably the traffic." Kara sighed and looked at Winn, who was still busy talking to whoever was on the other side of that call.

"Why invite us all?" Donna asked, reading Kara's expression. "If you like him enough, it should have been a date. Why do you need a third and fourth wheel?"

"This could be a double date," Kara suggested.

"Sure!" Donna smirked. "Do I get Mike then?" Seeing Kara's pout, she laughed. "Chillax! He's all yours. But seriously, why all of us?"

"He was the one who invited Winn and you, so ask him." Just as she said that she saw Donna whistling at someone.

A guy pulled across the street in a motorbike. Removing his helmet, he shook his head before running his hand through his hair.

"Totally my type," Donna muttered, but when she saw the guy stand up straight and look at them, she added, "I take that back."

Kara smiled at Mike and waved to him. He wore dark blue jeans with a red t-shirt and a dark blue jacket instead of his trademark motorcycle jacket. That's when Kara realized she had once again forgotten to return his jacket. Mike was rubbing his hands as he made his way towards them.

"Hey guys!" he said, patting Winn's shoulder and holding his hand out for Donna to shake. "You must be Donna."

"And you are _not_ Kai Parker." Donna smiled, shaking hands with him.

"Well, I'm seriously considering a career in acting now. If that dude who plays Kai Parker doesn't feel like returning, I can always step in," Mike joked, scratching his beard lightly. "And it's really nice meeting you, Donna; Winn can't stop talking about you."

Winn coughed when he felt Donna's eyes on him, but she simply said, "Likewise, Mike. Our little sunshine can't stop talking about you either."

Mike looked at Kara with a smirk. "Is that right? And damn, why is it so cold here?"

"It's not really that cold," Kara said, gesturing them towards the restaurant.

"Wait, where are you from?" Donna asked Mike as she grabbed Winn's arm and pulled him in with her. He was busy talking to his dad, and he didn't seem happy at all. When Donna saw Winn frown, she snatched the phone out of his hand and spoke, "Hey Mr. S, Winn is busy and not interested in talking to you right now. So, buh-bye. It's Donna by the way, if you are wondering." Saying that, she cut the call.

"Doe… Why would you do that?!" Winn moaned. Donna simply patted his shoulder and took a seat.

To Kara and Winn's dismay, Mike slid in next to Donna and said, "I'm from LA. It's always nice and warm there. Plus the beach; I miss the beach."

"That's a nice place. Winn and I went to Los Angeles once," Donna said. Turning to face Kara, who looked at bit glum, she asked, "Wasn't this the same time you went on a cruise with your folks and Clark?"

"Yup," Kara replied, popping the p.

"We should order, I'm starving," Winn said quickly, gesturing for the waiter.

It didn't take too long for them to loosen up. The beer was helping surely. Mike had insane amount of jokes to tell. Whatever was bothering him earlier was long forgotten, Kara had decided. She couldn't help but smile seeing him laugh about something Winn said. When he looked at her, he raised his glass of beer and winked at her. Kara blushed and looked away.

Donna, who was getting a bit tipsy, chuckled and said, "Well, I never expected Kara to make it front page for exposing such a big smuggling ring! So, cheers to our sunshine!"

Kara's eyes shot up to Mike's, he had a small smile playing on his face as he clinked glasses with Winn and Donna.

"But did you hear about that masked dude beating up those guys like shit?" Donna asked before taking a bite of a dumpling.

"Doe, we don't have to talk about that," Kara quickly said, when she noticed the air around them grow thicker.

"Excuse me," Mike said, getting up. "I've to go to the restroom."

When Mike left, Kara frowned at Donna. "Doe, we aren't going to talk about work, okay?"

"Sure. Whatever." Donna sat back and finished another glass of beer.

Winn had noticed what was going on so he excused himself and made his way to the restroom. He walked in to see Mike splashing cold water over his face. Mike looked up to see Winn handing him some paper towels. Thanking him, Mike wiped his face and was about to walk out when Winn stopped him.

"What happened, man? I saw you and Cat earlier. Why did it look like she was comforting you?"

Mike sighed and threw the paper towels away. "Stuff happened at work, Winn."

"It was you, wasn't it? The masked man?"

"What makes you say that?"

Winn gave him a strange smile. "I don't know you well, Mike, but I've known Kara all my life. She is a bit reckless. Tell her not to do something, that's exactly what she will do. I know she was being harassed and you protected her. But did you beat up those men intentionally?"

"You'll probably hate me for saying this."

"It's okay. I want to hear it, Mike."

Something happened with Mike; there was a strange look in his eyes as he whispered, "Yes."

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoops! Winn knows Mike's secret. Will that affect their friendship?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter - 19**

"I don't hate you for that," Winn said calmly. "You took on bad guys who would have probably killed you and my best friend… Or done worse with her. All I can say is, thank you, for protecting Kara. It's always been me and Donna doing the protecting thing since we were kids. And ever since that incident with Barry… well, let's just say we want her to be happy and safe."

"You mean the break up?" Mike asked curiously. "Wasn't it recent?"

Winn shook his way, walking outside. "They broke up once before. This was some… three years ago? Yeah. He was on this trip with his college mates, met someone there, called Kara and told her he needed a break. And next thing we know is that he's with some other chick. That was a really awful time for Kara."

"I can see why you guys are protective of her." Mike grinned. "Don't worry, she's safe as long as I'm around."

"You better be around, man. You are awesome!" Winn patted Mike's shoulder earning a hearty laughter. When they returned to their table, the girls were almost done with their drinks. Kara giggled and waved at them.

Mike slid in next to Donna and asked, "You high, Blondie?"

"Noooo…" Kara said, giggling. "But I'm floooaty. I'm not floating… am I?"

Winn shook his head and looked at Donna who was handling alcohol better than Kara. When the time came to pay the bill, Mike took care of it, leaving Kara pouting at him since she was the one who had invited him. He winked at her and told her she could pay the next time.

Kara smiled brightly thinking about the 'next time'. _Would it be sometime soon?_

When they walked out, Mike went to get his bike. He drove back to where Kara, Winn and Donna were standing.

"I'm still so jealous that you get to ride this every day," Donna said, touching the bike's rear seat.

"You know how to drive?" Mike asked as he turned off the ignition.

"Sure do. I had a boyfriend in college who rode a bike. I used to sneak off with it all the time." Donna smiled remembering the good times.

To her surprise, Mike got down, holding the bike's handle and said, "Okay, drive it then. But let me just sit in the back, so we can drop you off at home, and I'll go to my place."

Donna hesitated but seeing Mike's encouraging smile, she said, "Really? Thank you, Matthews! You won't regret this, I promise! Plus, I can show you some places while we are at it."

"Maybe even grab some coffee so I don't sleep while you drive." Mike chuckled.

Donna smiled as she grabbed the helmet from his hand and put it on. Mike decided not to wear one as he sat behind her. He placed his hands over her shoulders as he straightened himself.

Turning on the ignition, Donna heard Kara say, "Hey! I can drive too."

"Kare bear, the last time you drove, you ran the bike into a bus." Donna laughed at Kara's pouty face. Winn sighed and shook his head remembering the incident.

"Sorry, Blondie, running into a bus is a big no-no, and I need to protect my baby." When he saw Kara's eyes widen in disbelief, Mike added, "I mean, my bike."

"So long, amigos!" Donna waved to her friends and started the bike. Mike sent them both a salute and they took off.

Kara could hear them laugh as Donna increased the speed. And for the very first time in life, Kara Kent was jealous of her own best friend. She turned to look at Winn whose expression mirrored hers. He looked at her and asked, "Ice cream to drown away our sorrows?"

Kara nodded. "Ice cream to drown away our sorrows!"

Winn threw his arm around her shoulder and they walked to get his car.

* * *

The next morning brought a very excited Donna Prince to Kara's doorstep.

"You are _not_ going to believe what we did!" she called out in excitement. Kara mentally cried hearing her loud voice.

"Doe, why are you soooo loud in the mornings?!"

"Kara, we drove all around the town. We got coffee first then some churros. We went to the Original Starbucks, and he was very impressed by it. He let me drive till we reached my place, almost around midnight!"

"Did you invite him in?" Kara asked, a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"Oh no! He got a call from his girlfriend, so he left. By the way, he asked for his motorcycle jacket. Says you have it." Donna led the way out to her car, since Kara was in no mood of driving herself to work. Once again, Kara found Winn sleeping in the backseat.

She got into the car and said, "Mike doesn't have a girlfriend, Doe."

Donna simply smirked before asking, "You jealous, Kara?"

"WHAT? NO! No, Donna. I'm not jealous at all!" Kara managed a terrible fake laugh.

"It's okay, Kent. It's written all over your face. And we didn't do anything that you should worry about. He's… just great! It's sad he's not my type. But seriously, he's the most fun person to hang around."

"Heyyyy! What about me?" Winn asked, sitting up as he rubbed his eyes.

"What about you, monkey?" Donna asked.

"I'm a fun person too!" Winn pouted.

"Sure, in your dreams!"

"Doe, you and I are always together in my dreams!" Winn said, finally deciding to let her know what he felt. But when he saw the confusion on Donna's face, he realized this was a bad time, so he added, "Kare bear is there too."

"Of course, the Musketeers," Donna sneered. "Seriously, Winn, could you not have come up with something better than the Three Musketeers?"

"I was six, Doe. Six-years-old!" Winn protested.

Donna rolled her eyes at him and pulled right in front of their office. "Okay, here we are." Kara and Winn sat quietly, both lost in thoughts. When Donna saw them, she yelled, "GET OUT BOTH OF YOU! I need to go home and freaking paint!"

Winn and Kara clambered out of the car and ran into the building not wanting to face Donna's wrath. Winn said goodbye to Kara once they had reached his floor and she went all the way up to the twentieth floor. Walking out, Kara turned around the corner only to run into someone.

She looked up to see it was Mike. And for some reason, he looked so different. He had combed his hair, or was that gel? He wore a pair of glasses much like hers, but they were a bit sleeker. Her eyes trailed down to see him in a nice charcoal suit with a black button down shirt and a red silk tie.

"You are in a suit," she muttered.

"Good morning to you too, Blondie. I'm doing great! Thank you for asking." Mike grinned, scratching his beard lightly.

Kara looked up, her eyes widening. He looked hot in glasses and a suit. "You are in a suit," she repeated.

"Okay, Baby Groot. You made your point. Now, don't you have work to do? Go in. Shoo." Mike leaned closer and kissed her cheek loudly; then he walked away.

Kara walked towards her desk, still dreamy after seeing Mike look dapper in a suit. She sat down after greeting Brax and sighed happily. But the minute her eyes fell on the small white paper cup turned upside down on her desk, she leaned closer to see what was written over it.

'DO NOT MOVE UNLESS YOU PLAN ON KILLING IT!'

Kara sat back, her face scrunched up in horror. _Mike!_ She knew it was him. It was always him pulling such pranks. She had to get back at him in an equally troubling way. But Kara knew she would be creative with her prank, not put a freaking spider and close it with a paper cup.

She sat there for some ten minutes wondering what she was going to do, just as she was about to ask Brax to help her, she felt a presence right behind her. Kara turned around to see Bruce Wayne looking down at her with a pleasant smile on his face.

Her eyes widened as he moved closer and asked, "What is this you have here, Kara?"

"PLEASEDON'TTOUCHITIT'SASPIDER!" she cried before grabbing his arm just as he reached to take the cup.

"Relax," Bruce said in a calm tone as he smiled and lifted the cup. To Kara's surprise there was a small caramel candy inside it. _Where the hell was the spider then?_

"See, it's just a harmless candy." Bruce picked it up and dropped it in her palm. "Always go by your instinct, not your fear." Saying that, Bruce winked at her and walked away to Clark's office.

Kara sighed and got up. She headed straight to Mike's desk to see how she could return the favor. But when her eyes fell on a letter that had the words 'Resignation' typed on it, she got a sinking feeling in her gut. Mike was leaving. And it was all because of her!

Kara mentally cursed herself as she read the letter, but someone soon snatched it out of her hand. It was Mike, who had a mysterious smile on his face. "What is this, Blondie? Reading private letters? That's not polite." Saying that, he turned around and walked to Clark's office.

Kara watched as he knocked on the door and walked in. She could see Mike shaking hands with Bruce. And soon he would be giving them his resignation letter and leaving her life forever.

* * *

"Valor," Bruce called, a hint of pride in his voice. "Breaking sensational news. And what's this I hear, Matthews? You kicked some ass while you were at it."

Mike's eyes widened. Bruce looked unfazed. And Clark had a small smile on his face.

"Sit down," Bruce said, gesturing for Mike to take a seat. There was another chair next to Clark's and he made himself comfortable in it. "So, Clark was concerned about the issue, and I helped him understand why we need more brave men like you on our side. I personally believe it is not bad for one to know how to fight. And since it was for self-defense and a mere precaution taken because these men don't come after you and Kara, I think what you did was brave, Matthews."

"I'm sorry, Mike," Clark apologized. "I jumped into conclusions too soon. I had a chat with my fiancée who made me understand that if I was in your position, I would have done the same."

Mike nodded quietly. "Thank you for understanding, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Kent; but I understand that the company has certain policies. And I also read my contract that clearly states I cannot leave for three months."

"Yes, I've your contract right here," Bruce replied, pointing a finger at a file in front of him. "The contract also states that we if are happy with your work, and you are content working at the Planet, we will extend your contact for another twenty-one months. Unless you wish to renegotiate terms."

"What if I feel like leaving once my three-month contract period is over?"

Clark looked at Bruce, not sure what to say to Mike. Bruce gave him a look that said he was handling it. Turning to Mike, he said, "If that is what you wish and we can't change your mind till then, you are free to go. But if you wish to do that just because Clark said the company doesn't tolerate violence, then that's a hasty decision. Sure, if it was Mike Matthews, Investigative Journalist at The Daily Planet going out beating up people, we could have said something. But this was a masked man doing what he deemed was right, which ended up helping the cops; we don't have a say in it."

A small smile played on Mike's lips. Bruce Wayne understood him better than most people did. "I'll stay for a little while longer," he said. There was an instant relief on Clark's face and a smirk on Bruce's.

* * *

 **A/N:** I love drama so much! And Bruce Wayne IS gonna be the drama! Anyone shipping Kara and Mike now? Any Kara x Barry shippers around?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter - 20**

The nervousness on Kara's face was apparent as she desperately tried to cover it, but failed ultimately. She sat in her chair, chewing her nails, making Winn look at her in concern.

He had gotten a weird text from Donna earlier asking him to find her a beautiful boy to paint. And as Winn was busy asking Kara what she made of the said text, she kept looking at Clark's office. Thank God for glass walls, she could see their interaction well. Kara's shoulder dropped in relief when she saw Mike shake hands with Bruce and Clark. And few minutes later, Bruce was shredding the letter Mike had been carrying with him.

"He's not going," Kara said in a low voice.

"What's that, Kare bear?" Winn asked, looking up to see Mike walking back to his desk, with a bright smile on his face. Winn waved to him.

"Hey Winn! Sup, man?" Mike asked as he walked to Kara's desk, undid the button on his coat, loosened his tie and plopped on her desk.

"That spider prank was _not_ funny!" Kara said with a mock-frown.

"Sure was! You loved it!" Mike chuckled as he ruffled her hair.

Kara pushed his hand away. "Mike, stop it! Don't treat me like a kid!"

"Aww, poor baby!" Mike mocked her, only for her to punch his arm. "Ouch, why so serious, woman?"

"Yeah, Kara, what's going on with you?" Winn asked, grabbing a red vine Mike had offered him. "Why are you hitting Mike?"

"Hitting Mike or hitting _on_ Mike?" Mike grinned as he munched on a red vine.

Kara was fuming. Mike kept teasing her and getting away with it. And he didn't even care that she was worried sick about him leaving. Mike was simply laughing and giving Winn a high-five.

Brax was looking at them; with a light frown on his face, he said, "Mike, stop teasing Kara, dude! Why do you keep playing silly pranks on her?"

"Oh my God! Wax?!" Mike called in surprise. "I didn't see you there, man! How long have you been here? Dude, if you were in LA, you would have melted by now!"

Winn burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. Mike smirked when he saw Brax roll his eyes and turn away. And all Kara did was stare at Mike, dumbstruck. So when Bruce Wayne made his way to her desk, she was still busy gawking at Mike.

Mike was the first to see Bruce; he jumped down the desk, gave him a small smile and walked to his own seat. Winn greeted Bruce and joined Mike by pulling a chair next to him. Both men pretending to be concentrating on something Mike was showing Winn.

Kara looked up at Bruce and she stood up as well. "How are you liking it here, Kara?" he asked.

"It's brilliant, Mr. Wayne! So much to learn." Kara smiled happily.

"Please, it's Bruce. No formalities between us. I'm glad you are liking it here. You have great potential and one day the Planet would love to see you as the new Vice President."

"Tha—thank you, Mr. Wa—sorry, Bruce."

"Goodbye, Kara." Bruce smiled and walked away.

Kara smiled back and turned around to see Winn and Mike looking at keenly. Winn looked surprised, and Mike looked as if he was making another one of his evil plans.

"Blondie," he called, standing up. "Oh my God! You have a crush on him."

A chuckle escaped Winn as he felt Kara glare at him and Mike. "No, I don't!" she protested.

"Sure you do! Who would have thought? Blondie having a lowkey crush on Bruce Wayne, the eccentric billionaire?!" Mike looked at Winn, who simply nodded, cementing his doubt.

"I don't have a crush on him, Mike!"

Mike shook his head. "Ask him out, Blondie."

Kara frowned at him before saying, "Drop it, Mike!"

"Seriously, I dare you."

"MIKE, STOP!"

Grinning, he shook his head. "I double dare you! If you don't ask him out on a date then I dare you to kiss me in front of everyone. You choose!"

If Kara knew Mike wasn't teasing her, she would have jumped at the opportunity to kiss him in front of everyone, especially Cat Grant. But she didn't want him to have the last laugh.

Smirking, she said, "Fine. I'll do it."

Mike puckered his lips, but she rolled her eyes and turned away, running after Bruce. Mike's smile fell. Did Blondie really choose Bruce freakin' Wayne over _him_? That wounded his ego!

"Dude, what have you done?" Winn asked, standing up as well. "She has always had a huge crush on Bruce! Since she first met him when she was only a teenager."

"I thought she liked Barry."

"Well, Bruce Wayne happened before Barry Allen did. You literally just pushed her into his arms."

Mike kneaded his temple. "He might say no."

"He _will_ say yes," Winn replied.

They stood watching Kara talking to Bruce. Whatever she was saying made him happy since he was chuckling lightly. Bruce touched her arm and nodded. Then to Mike and Winn's surprise, Bruce leaned closer and kissed Kara on her cheek. Waving goodbye, he walked into the elevator.

Kara turned around with a huge grin on her face. She couldn't believe this! She asked Bruce Wayne out on a date and he said yes! She had to call Donna. She really needed help choosing the perfect dress, and Donna was always good at doing her hair and makeup.

Kara happily returned to her desk to see Mike looking at her peculiarly.

"I won the dare!"

Mike rolled his eyes at her. "Not a chance, Blondie! You have to go on the date and bring back photographic evidence to actually win this."

"No, I don't! Don't make up stupid rules, Mike!" Kara marched towards him and poked his chest with a finger.

Mike grabbed it tightly before saying, "It's the most basic rule of a dare. A proof."

"I'm not going to take a stupid selfie with Bruce Wayne! Get that idea out of your mind, Michael!"

Mike moved closer, his nose almost touching hers. "Don't you dare call me _Michael_ , Blondie! Or I swear, I'll be doing a lot of bad things."

Kara moved back and threw her arms up. "Oh yeah! As if pranking me every single day isn't in your list of bad things already!"

"Either you get me that proof or you will have to kiss me in front of everyone!"

"Surreee… let's see how your girlfriend takes that! We all know she will get mad at you and you will come crying to me and you expect me to comfort you? Yeah right! In your dreams, _Michael_!"

Mike frowned. "Don't tempt me, Blondie! And _you_ are the one who's gonna be kissing _me_. So if Cat gets mad at someone, then that will be you. Ha! Beat that!"

By now everyone was busy listening to their argument, and Winn was busy recording everything on his phone.

Kara grabbed her handbag and hit his chest with that. "I hate you, Mike! You are soooo unbelievable! What did I even see in you the first time we met?"

"Oh, you wanna know what you saw in me, Kara Alexandra Kent? KAI FREAKING PARKER! Oh yes, people!" He turned around and faced other before saying, "She mistook me for the devil himself. Kai Parker… from the Vampire Diaries?! You guys... you guys don't even know that? Seriously!" Mike threw his arms up in defeat.

"You… you… I HATE YOU!" Kara yelled as she started hitting him.

Mike grabbed her hands, pulled her closer and said, "Oh, you have tested my limits. You are gonna pay for that!" Saying that, he bent down and grabbed her legs. Before Kara could react, Mike had thrown her over his shoulder and was walking out of the office.

"LET ME DOWN!" Kara cried as she kept hitting his back.

He grinned as he turned around and asked Winn, "You coming, buddy?"

Winn, who was still busy recording the video, ran after them. He joined them inside the elevator just as Mike put Kara down and cornered her.

"Bro, press the button to the ground floor," Mike said.

"What are you doing?" Kara shouted. "Let me go, you stupid dudebro! Why are you kidnapping me?!"

Mike slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "I'm taking you two out for lunch now that you finally asked. And _you_ are paying!" Saying that, he stepped away and grinned at Winn and reached out to give him a fist bump. Winn had already sent Donna the video, and he knew she would be laughing her ass off watching it.

Mike turned around to face Kara; seeing tears in her eyes, Mike's smile fell. "Hey! Hey! I'm sorry! Why are you crying?!"

Kara pouted and shook her head. Mike's eyes softened as he pulled her into a hug. "Hey, stop crying, Blondie. I'm so sorry! I take it all back. The dare. Everything."

Kara pulled away and let out a small chuckle. She then turned to face her best friend. "Did you record that? His apology?"

"Done!" Winn grinned just as the elevator door opened and Kara giggled and ran out.

"BLONDIE! COME BACK HERE!" Mike shouted as he ran after her.

Winn stepped out and leaned against the wall and quickly typed a message after attaching the video. _'Dear Doe, here's part two of Kara and Mike's epic fight. She actually faked her tears to get an apology out of him. Crazy and awesome, right? I miss you. And oh, Kara might tell you this soon, but I can't wait. SHE ASKED BRUCE WAYNE OUT ON A DATE AFTER MIKE DARED HER!'_

Winn didn't have to wait for long, just as his phone buzzed, he saw Mike grabbing Kara and carrying her out bridal style. Winn smiled and opened Donna's text.

 _'_ _NO SHIT, SHERLOCK! WHEN WERE YOU PLANNING ON TELLING ME THIS? I SWEAR, WINN, OUR GIRL HAS A SECRET SIDE HIDDEN AND MIKE FREAKIN' MATTHEWS IS BRINGING IT OUT! SCREW WAYNE, WE HAVE TO GET KARA WITH MIKE ASAP!'_

* * *

 **A/N:** Right now, this is my most favorite chapter! I hope you liked it too!

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter - 21**

Kara Kent had never thought that she would want to start dating so soon after her breakup with Barry Allen. But then again she had never thought of a breakup in the first place. Instead, she had thought that Barry was her soulmate. The man whom she would marry someday. The man with whom she would buy a beautiful estate facing the lake. The man with whom she would have children, at least three; adopt two dogs and grow older. Finally, the man with whom she would spend the rest of her life. But destiny was a bitch, and Kara knew that all too well now.

And here she was, looking at herself in the mirror, appreciating Donna's hair and makeup skills. She looked nice. Different too. Kara wore a black one-shoulder cut out mesh cocktail dress. It showed off her skin but also covered it in the right places, and Donna had promised her that she would look lovely in it. Kara wondered if Donna had more dresses like these hidden only for her to wear since she had never seen Donna wear this one.

"Doe, I think this is too reveling! Where is the back?"

"It's a mesh!" Donna shot back. "It doesn't show off too much. You should have worn the red, low back one."

"NOOO!" Kara scrunched her face in horror.

"Fine! You look pretty in this dress. And the makeup is just right. Do you really want your hair tied-up? You can let the blonde locks fall."

"No. This is fine," Kara said as she grabbed her purse.

She was just about to reach out for her glasses when Donna grabbed her arm and said, "Nuh-uh! Don't even think about it! Put on those contact lenses."

"But, Dooooeeee," Kara whined and pouted. She liked wearing her glasses and contact lenses only made her nervous that she would drop them somewhere. But Donna was in no mood to listen.

"Just do what I say, Kent. You won't regret it!" Saying that, she walked out of the room. They were at Winn's place; as Donna helped Kara get ready, Winn was playing the piano and singing to calm Kara's nerves.

She stepped out of the room just as he finished the song. Winn gave her a big smile. "Aw, Kare bear, you look adorable!"

Kara looked at Donna helplessly. What if Bruce Wayne called her adorable too?

"You look hot, Kara, get out now!" Donna said, a bit bored already. She hugged Kara and made her wave goodbye to Winn, dragged her all the way out to Martha's car and gently pushed her in. "Have a great night, Kare bear. We need details. Buh-bye!"

* * *

Once the car pulled out of the driveway, Donna went back in and grabbed a cushion and threw it at Winn's face. "ADROABLE? YOU IDIOT!"

"What? What did I do now? I was just complementing her!"

"I cannot believe you have already forgotten our plan, Winslow! Damn, you are sooo slow!" Donna yelled. "1. She wore a hot dress. 2. Her date is Bruce freakin' Wayne. What does that mean?"

Winn placed a finger under his chin and thought for couple of seconds before another cushion hit his face. "WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME?!" he cried just as Donna shouted, "PAPS, YOU IDIOT!"

"What?"

"Winn, seriously? Paps will be out where they are dining. They will take pictures and guess who just happens to be a gossip columnist?"

"Umm… am I supposed to answer to this?"

Donna rolled her eyes at him. "I'm talking about Cat Grant! She gets all the pics ASAP. And next day she breaks the news. We all know Mike, if he isn't hanging out with Kara or you, he's with Cat. So what happens then?"

Winn raised his hand, literally jumping with excitement. "Oh, I know! I know! Mike will see the picture because Cat will show it to him and he will get jealous and our plan to bring them together works!"

"Brilliant, monkey!" Donna clapped her hands for him proudly. "See, you are not that stupid. So now, I want you to call Mike and see where he is. And if he's _not_ with Cat Grant, we have to _make sure_ he is with her!"

"But what will I ask him?"

"Just call him and ask him where he is! Put it on speaker." Donna came to lean on the piano, glaring at Winn who was hesitating to call Mike. "Do it, Winslow, or I'll swear I post the love letter you wrote to me on your seventh birthday on Twitter!"

Winn groaned and pulled out his phone. Dialing Mike's number, he put it on speaker and placed the phone over the piano.

Mike picked up the call in the third ring and answered, "Hey man, wassup?"

"Mike! Heeeyyy! I just called to ask how you are doing?" Winn scratched his head just as Donna facepalmed herself.

"Ha-ha! I'm good, bro! What about you?"

"I'm super cool! Yeah. I'm excellent. Just brilliant… Anyway, I was just playing something on the piano for Donna. Do you play?"

"Oh yes! I do," Mike said with a hint of excitement in his tone. "I play the guitar. Do you sing as well?"

Winn smiled. "Sure do, buddy! Hey! That reminds me. There's this bar in my neighborhood. It has karaoke; join me sometime? Donna DJ's there sometimes."

"I would love to, buddy! Not today, I hope?" Mike chuckled. "I'm at a friend's place, watching a movie."

Donna's eyes lit up hearing that. She looked at Winn and mouthed, _'Ask him who?'_

"A friend? Wow! Who is this… _friend_ , by the way? Do I know this friend?"

"Maybe." Mike was being coy and all Donna wanted to do was hunt him down and smack the smirk out of his face.

"Is that friend… Cat Grant?" Winn asked and let out an inaudible sigh.

"Ha-ha! Someone is curious today. Yeah, man. I'm at Cat's place. She has a TV and I don't. She also has lots of other good stuff."

Donna gestured for Winn to end the call. He nodded and said, "Then I should probably let you get back to watching whatever you were watching, Mike. See you tomorrow, dude!"

"Yeah, buddy! See ya!" Mike cut the call.

Donna moved closer to give Winn a fist bump. "Okay, Mike is all set. Now we wait and see what the photographers see and share."

Winn nodded. "Please don't make me do this again, Doe. It makes me anxious and my BP increases and I—"

Donna cut him off by asking, "Wait, where was that love letter again? I'm gonna go get that now."

"I'M SORRY!" Winn cried, running after her to stop her.

* * *

Kara sat in her mother's car talking to her drive, Jeff about his family. Her parents had gone to a charity dinner so Martha's chauffeur driven car was at her disposal.

"When do you want me to pick you up, Miss Kara?" Jeff asked as the car pulled outside the hotel where she was meeting Bruce.

"I'm not sure. But I'm guessing I'll get a ride back home with Mr. Wayne."

Jeff's eyes shot up to look at her in the rearview mirror. "Mr. Wayne? Okay. You be careful now, Miss Kara and have a great evening."

Kara smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Jeff. You too. Say hi to Nancy and the kids from me. I'll stop by to see baby Amanda soon."

"I can always drive you there," Jeff replied, with an equally bright smile.

The door opened and Kara saw it was Bruce. "Hello, Kara," he greeted her, holding his hand out for her to take.

"Hi, Bruce!" Kara smiled, slipping her hand in his. They made their way in, arm in arm, and Kara couldn't help but notice all the photographers trying to take their pictures.

"Why are there so many paps here?" she asked curiously.

Bruce shrugged lightly. "I heard there's a celebrity dining here tonight. They might be here for them. Just smile." He gave the paps a brilliant smile, making sure they got some good pictures of him and Kara together. Bruce didn't really want to lie, _he_ was the celebrity in question here, but this obviously looked like Kara's first time and he didn't want her to panic.

Kara let out a small sigh as she walked in with Bruce. She really hoped no one recognized her in those pictures, if they ever got out.

Bruce led her all the way up to the restaurant in the rooftop. That's when she realized they were pretty close to the Space Needle. He held the chair out for her and was the gentleman she knew he would be.

Kara was busy taking in the view or that's what Bruce thought as he chose the wine. But she was busy thinking about the stapler she stole from Mike's desk earlier. Currently it was freezing inside a Jell-O in Winn's freezer. Kara smiled thinking about Mike's reaction when he would finally see how expertly she pulled off a prank.

"You look beautiful when you smile." Kara heard Bruce say, as he looked up from reading the menu. She blushed and thanked him. "You should smile more often, Kara."

She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Are you staying at this hotel?" she asked just as the waiter returned with a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2006.

"Not really. I've a penthouse nearby. But I used to stay here before I bought the property," Bruce explained. "So how about you? Where do you live?"

Kara took a sip of her drink before replying, "With my parents. I have been looking for a place of my own, but I don't know which one is right for me."

Bruce nodded in understanding. "Even though I've a family estate in Scarsdale, I like living at my penthouse in Upper West Side. Close to work."

"That's nice!"

"Have you been to New York before?" Bruce asked just as he gestured to the waiter.

Kara nodded but waited till they ordered. Once they were done, she said, "Yeah. Once. No… twice, actually. It's… nice."

Seeing her shrug, Bruce laughed. "I gather you don't like New York?"

"No. It's not like that." _Yes, it was like that._ Barry Allen lived in New York, and she didn't want anything to do with that place. Kara grabbed her glass of wine and finished it in one big gulp, making Bruce raise a single brow at her.

"So how was it working with Mr. Matthews?" Bruce asked, deciding to change the topic since Kara was not interested in talking about NYC. "Your first case with Valor himself."

Kara's eyes lit up when hearing Mike's name; smiling, she said, "You know how it is to be on a rollercoaster, right? That thrill. The adrenaline rush! That's how it is to be working with Mike."

Seeing Kara's excited grin, Bruce asked, "Am I sensing a romance here?"

Kara's eyes widened and she shook her head. "NO! No. No. Mike and I can barely stand each other's presence. He's that one person I don't think I'll _ever_ fall in love with. Ever!"

"So others stand a chance?" Bruce asked with a small smirk on his face, leaning over the table.

Kara could see the raw passion in his eyes. _He_ was that forbidden apple she had been warned about. But then again she had already taken a bite of that apple when she first slept with Mike Matthews. What did she have to lose?

Smiling shyly, she replied, "Yes. _Others_ do stand a chance."

* * *

 **A/N:** Oops! What just happened?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter - 22**

Dating was a _complicated_ thing. Oh yes, there's that word again. Kara cringed, facing the window as Bruce was giving her a ride back home. The date went well. Bruce was a great listener and that was something most of her dates lacked. It wasn't like she went on many dates. It had always been Barry from the start. A silly schoolgirl crush that had turned into a full-blown romance by the time she was in high school.

And there was Kai Parker himself. What she had with Mike was unexpected and something she couldn't shake. Although the date was with Bruce, she kept thinking about how it would be if it was Mike sitting in front of her instead.

He would have probably said something inappropriate after seeing her in that dress. He would have kissed her just to make her stop talking. And he would have joked about how expensive the wine was and reminded her they could have just skipped it and grabbed a pack of beer, walked by the docks, shouting rude names at no one in particular.

"The weather is pleasant today," she heard Bruce say.

Kara turned to face him. She had forgotten her jacket and it was a bit chilly today. That's when she remembered the motorcycle jacket Mike had given to her when they were on that Smuggling ring case.

"It's a little cold," Kara said. Bruce turned to see that she was indeed cold so he reached down to turn on the heater. Soon the backseat was getting warmer.

"Better?" Bruce asked. "Couldn't help but notice, you aren't wearing a coat. Do you want mine?" He was about to remove his jacket but Kara stopped him because the car was pulling outside her home.

"Thank you, Bruce," Kara said as she was about to step out.

"Hold on." He got out, ran to the other side and helped her out.

Kara gave him a pleasant smile. "I had a nice time today."

"Me too. It's been a while since I just sat there and talked without worrying about work and all."

"Well, thank you, it's been a while for me too," Kara confessed. Yes, she was not going to think about that time with Mike. She just had to forget him and move on. "How long are you staying at Seattle?"

"My jet is on standby over my penthouse. Ready to leave any minute. You should go inside, it's getting chilly."

Kara nodded, but she was unable to move. That was all Bruce needed to see before leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips. What Kara didn't know was that Donna and Winn were sitting inside Winn's car parked under a tree, keenly watching what their best friend was doing.

Bruce was about to pull away, but when he felt Kara touch his cheek and kiss him back, he placed his hands on her waist and deepened the kiss.

When Kara broke away, she gave him a small smile and stepped away. She had hoped for some fireworks like that time she had kissed Mike. _Oh, not him again_ , she mentally cursed herself for thinking about him.

"I'll be in town next week," Bruce said, walking her towards the door. "If you are free, would you like to meet up?"

Kara nodded. "I would love to."

"Great! Looking forward to it." Bruce gave her a quick peck on her cheek, waved her goodbye and walked back to his car.

"Have a safe journey," Kara called as he walked away.

"Always," Bruce shouted back from the car and soon the car drove away.

Kara was just about to open the door to her house when someone suddenly grabbed her hand. She turned around in surprise to see it was only Donna.

"Come on," Donna said, pulling Kara along with her. They walked to Winn's car and Kara got in after Donna.

"Hey! How was the date?" Winn asked, giving Kara a big smile.

"Hi Winn! It was nice."

"Nice? What aren't you telling us? We need details! We saw you two kiss!" Donna called loudly.

"What? How long have you two been here?" Kara asked in shock. _Were they spying on her?_

"Not too long," Donna said just as Winn said, "Over an hour." Donna punched Winn on his arm, and he made a face.

"It was really nice. The food was great. And he's such a gentleman. He talked about work but mostly listened to me. And never made an inappropriate joke. Not once."

"I'm guessing Mike does that?" Donna asked, raising a single brow.

"Yeah. All the time! He can't stop himself from talking about sex. So inappropriate," Kara said, scrunching her face a little.

"So you are saying you don't like him at all?" Donna asked, faking surprise.

"Ha! Duh! Why would I even like him? I mean… he's hot. Okay, I'll give him that. And he's pretty cute when he smiles." Kara had a small smile playing on her face. "And he isn't that bad in bed. Wait… what am I saying?"

"Sounds like you are in love, Kare bear!" Winn grinned.

"No! NO. I AM NOT! Oh my God! I feel weird." Kara opened the door and stepped out. "I need a shower and a good night's sleep. I'll see you two tomorrow. Bye." Saying that, she closed the door and headed back home.

Donna got out and got behind the wheel. Starting the car, she said, "Our plan isn't working, Winny. She keeps talking about him but she's in such a state of denial. We really have to make them both jealous at once!"

"Why not bring them under one roof with their respective partners? I mean, if Kara ever goes on a date with Bruce again," Winn said. "But Mike isn't really dating Cat, and he doesn't seem like the jealous type."

Donna was quiet for a while before she turned to face him with a big grin. "Winn, has anyone ever told you that you are a genius? No! Well, I'm not saying that again. But seriously, bringing them under one roof. Or one bar, in this case. I think we can make this happen!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Mike was watching Baywatch on Cat's flat screen while she was busy talking to someone on the phone. He was lying on her couch in his boxers, often complaining that it was cold.

"Turn up the thermostat!" Mike called as Cat ended the call and joined him in the living room.

"Put on some clothes, Matthews." Cat smirked, she plopped on the armchair and asked, "Did you seriously roam around in your boxers in LA all day?"

"Nah! I did wear shorts and a tee." Mike shrugged and then chuckled.

Cat grinned. "Of course you did!" Just as she said that, her phone buzzed. She got up to get it and let out a surprised cry when she saw the notification that popped up.

"What is it?" Mike asked, getting up.

"I KNEW IT!" Cat called excitedly. "Bruce Wayne is in town and doesn't have a date for the night? Impossible. And… hold on, why does this chick look familiar?"

Mike walked towards her and grabbed her hand, lifting it to bring the phone closer to him. Surprised, he pulled the phone out of her hand and zoomed the pic.

"Shit! It's Blondie!" Seeing Cat raise a single brow, he added, "Kara Kent. Boss's baby sister? Where did you get these from?" He swiped left to see more pictures of Kara in a sinfully hot dress that he wanted to rip with his bare hands. "Damn. She looks hot as hell!"

Cat raised a brow again in surprised. _Since when did Mike find Keira hot?_

"A photographer friend saw them going into the hotel together. They came out two hours later, arm in arm, looking really happy. He said Bruce took her home, which we can't confirm unless we go to his place."

"I can do that for you," Mike said quickly before running back to Cat's room and grabbing his phone. He then texted Winn asking him if Kara was at his place. Mike didn't have to wait for too long. Winn texted him back saying Kara was at her place. He had also asked Mike why he was asking. Mike didn't have any good excuses so he ended up telling Winn that he wanted to talk to Kara about work.

When Mike walked back into the living room, he saw Cat writing something on her laptop. She looked up and asked, "So? Where is she?"

"Back at her home. Doesn't look like they are dating." Mike made a disgruntled face.

Cat chuckled. "Oh, is that jealousy I'm sensing, Matthews?"

Mike's eyes widened. "NO! Why the hell would I be jealous?! I mean… me and that Blondie? We barely stand each other! She's fun though, to play pranks on. But… well, that's all."

"If you say so." Cat gave him a knowing smile. She sat back and watched him go back into her room and when he returned, he was dressed. "Going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yeah. I totally forgot I had to talk to my buddy and his mom." Mike pulled on his jacket. "She's like a mom to me, you know, and she worries a lot! I haven't had the time to talk to her this week, so I better get to it."

Mike walked back to the couch and leaned down to kiss Cat's cheek. Waving goodbye, he grabbed his bike keys and walked out.

He drove straight to the dock he often went whenever he was missing home. _Was it just him missing his home or was it seeing Kara with another man?_

He decided it was the former and once he reached the dock, he went to sit in the corner, his legs dangling just above the water. He pulled out his phone and called Eric.

As if expecting his call, Eric picked it up in the first ring. Mike laughed. "Eager to hear my voice?"

"Ha-ha! You wish! I thought it was Madison calling."

Mike smiled. "Seriously? Get your eyes checked! Anyway, where's Nancy?"

"Oh damn, you called to talk to her? She just left, man."

"Where?"

"Her niece is getting married, so Mom and Dad left for the wedding two hours ago. It's in San Diego," Eric replied. "I'll call you once they return?"

"Sure. But talk now. Please."

Eric could easily sense the wretchedness in his friend's voice. There was something bothering Mike, and he wasn't going to tell him that easily. "Come back home, Mike. For couple of days."

"You know I can't, Ricky. I just started working here. And I still haven't managed to figure out where she could be. I can't return without meeting her."

"I know. And I'm guessing you still haven't asked Nora about her?"

"Ricky, I can't just barge in and ask something so big!"

"Mike, you need answers," Eric said calmly. "You aren't getting them unless you talk to Nora."

"And let Barry get a gist of this? He will ruin everything! You know he will. Especially with me working with Blondie now. He will flip when he finds out."

Mike heard Eric chuckle. "It's not as if you are with her, bro. You don't even like her. You made it pretty clear when we last talked."

"I don't hate her either. She's the kind of girl who wants more. A relationship. Well, good luck with that since she just went out with Bruce Wayne. Let's see how long that lasts." Mike rolled his eyes at that.

"Bruce Wayne who?"

Mike was quiet for few seconds before he burst out laughing. "This is why I love you, man! I miss you, brother."

Eric chuckled as well. "Come back home, Mike."

"Soon, Ricky. I promise."

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, Mike obviously didn't like what he saw... or did he? And who is he searching for?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter - 23**

Sleeping early and waking up early were all lost to Mike. He was never the one to follow any schedule, let alone a sleep schedule. So when his alarm rang early, he woke up and made himself some strong coffee before heading to take a shower.

Mike returned and grabbed a pair of dark jeans and put on a dark blue plaid button-down shirt. Mike skipped the tie and the jacket; instead he put on his motorcycle jacket and left for work.

He parked his bike and walked to the coffee shop near the office and grabbed a Bulletproof Coffee for Cat, Skinny Mocha for Winn, Iced White Tea Lemonade for Kara and finally a Double Espresso for himself. Mike walked back in with the coffee and tea for his friends.

He ran into Cat in the reception. She greeted him with a quick peck on his cheek. "Bulletproof?" she asked, looking at the coffee he was holding out for her.

"Only the best brew for my best girl." Mike winked at her. Together they made their way upstairs. Mike stopped by the seventeenth floor to greet Winn and drop off his coffee. When he finally made it to his floor, he saw Kara sitting on her desk, giggling at something.

"What's so funny, Blondie?" Mike asked as he placed her tea on the desk. She looked surprised to see him. "You're welcome!" He winked before heading to his desk. Mike moved back in surprise when he saw something yellow wobbling on his desk. "What the hell, Blondie?!"

Kara couldn't help but chuckle. Mike was now sitting on his chair, poking the Jell-O and leaning closer to see his stapler inside. He looked up at Kara and rolled his eyes. She was busy chuckling that she failed to notice him get up and walk to the break room. Mike returned with a small plate and a spoon. He quickly cut the sides of the Jell-O, leaving the stapler in and started eating it.

Kara's jaw dropped. Here she was thinking her prank was so epic it left Mike speechless, but he was enjoying the Jell-O as he browsed through something on the Internet.

"Okay, so no reaction at all?" Kara asked, moving towards his desk.

Mike shrugged as he placed the plate on the desk and grabbed her wrist; he pulled her towards him and Kara landed on his lap. Before she could yell, he covered her mouth with his hand. "Shhh, Blondie! Be quiet and just listen to me. Are you dating Wayne?"

Kara pulled his hand away and turned to face him. "Why, does it bother you?"

Mike rolled his eyes as he turned to face his computer. He opened a tab and asked Kara to read it. Her eyes widened when she read an article written by Cat about Bruce's new ladylove. And it was _her_! There were at least ten pictures of her with a scandalous article written about them.

"Oh my God! Clark is gonna freak out when he reads this!" Kara groaned.

"Do your parents know?"

"No! I just told them I was going on a date. With whom? I didn't think it was relevant. I mean, this is Bruce Wayne! I don't know if my folks will be happy when they find out who I was out with."

Kara felt Mike's arms wrap around her waist. Her eyes widened as he pushed her hair to one side and placed a soft kiss under her ear. She jumped in his arms, mock-slapped his shoulder and stood up.

Mike grinned. "So, am I the kind of guy your parents would accept?"

Kara giggled. "You? Ha-ha! Is that a joke? You are worse than Bruce Wayne, who's just an eccentric, playboy billionaire! But _you_ are the devil!"

"Oh yeah? I'm the devil?" Mike stood up and placed his hands on his hips. "So who wanted to bang Kai Parker? Should I remind you again, Blondie? Looks like your memory is worse than my great-grandmother's!"

"Wait. You have a great-grandmother?"

"Of course I have a great-grandmother! Stupid Blondie! How else would I have been born if I didn't have ancestors?!" Mike scratched his beard and plopped on his chair.

"I was just asking, _Michael_ , no need to get your panties in a twist!"

Mike was left dumbstruck for the very first time in his life. Suddenly he snapped and he knew what was happening. With his trademark smirk and a strange look in his eyes, he said, "Kai Parker was just in hell, Blondie. But you haven't seen Hell's Mike yet. Be careful!" Saying that, he grabbed his phone and walked away.

Kara grinned as he walked away. She had pranked him and he didn't even have a comeback. Kara knew she had succeeded. The look on Mike's face shouted that she had! Grinning, she went back to work.

Mike returned ten minutes later. "Hey Blondie, remember that file I gave you? Copy of the Smuggling ring case file?"

"Yeah, you want it?" Kara asked, reaching to open the filing cabinet. When she saw Mike nod, she pulled it open and let out a small cry.

"Kara, are you alright?" Brax asked, turning around quickly. She simply nodded.

There were no files in that drawer, instead there was a plastic sheet covering the drawer and lots of water. Three small gold fishes swam inside. Kara looked up at Mike, who was grinning mischievously. She grabbed her handbag and threw it at him. He ducked and stood up laughing loudly.

"Alright, Blondie. You have three new pets now. I have already taken the liberty of naming them: Yuki, Alstin-Bae Jr. and Chewbacca! Take care of them well. If anything happens to them, I swear, you will regret it." Giving her a big grin, he walked away.

Kara facepalmed herself. Why was Mike so keen on making her life hell? She quickly sent Winn a text, asking him to grab a fish bowl and some fish food before coming to see her at lunch. He was curious to why she was suddenly asking this, but decided to ask her later.

Kara had kept the drawer open for the fishes to have some fresh air and light. She got up to go to the restroom. Still a bit worried that Mike would play another prank on her. She hadn't seen him since the fish incident and it was almost lunch break. Kara kept glancing behind her back wondering if Mike was following her. She could feel a strange presence, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Kara walked into the Ladies' restroom and as soon as she stepped in, she let out a scream and jumped. Inside was a cardboard cutout of Gollum.

"MY PRECIOOOUSSS!" Kara heard a loud voice right behind her.

"AHHHH!" She let out another scream and covered her eyes. When she heard laughter, she turned around to see it was just Mike. "ARE YOU INSANE? I COULD HAVE HAD A HEARTATTACK!"

"OH MY PRECIOUS, HOW CAN I LET YOU DIE?!" Mike asked as he cornered her against the wall. "Apologize, Blondie."

"For what?"

"For that Jell-O prank."

A small smile played on Kara's face as she decided to make Mike taste his own medicine; she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Mike raised a single brow as Kara moved closer. "Are you jealous about me dating Bruce?"

"Sure… I'm jealous, and you are the Queen of England." Saying that, Mike stepped away from her and walked out.

Kara sighed and returned back to desk. She sat down and sighed when she saw Mike sitting in his desk, munching on another red vine. Kara's eyes fell on his lips. She was a little mesmerized by how they moved. Suddenly she wanted to taste that red vine, but on his lips.

Kara's eyes widened. Since when did she have such thoughts about Mike?! _Since the first time he took you to bed, honey_ , her inner musings got louder.

Just as she was about to reach out for her bag she saw that something was terribly wrong with her office phone. Instead of the dark blue handset was a yellow Banana with the word PHONE carved over it. Kara looked up at Mike, who was grinning at her. She wanted to be mad at him, throw something at him, but all she could do was smile before giggling.

"Lunch, Blondie?" he asked good-naturedly.

"You are buying!"

"Okay! So, shall we?" Mike asked as he got up and held his hand out for her. She slipped her hand in his and smiled.

"Just lunch, Mike. Don't let that dirty mind of yours wander off."

"A man can dream!" Mike winked.

Just as they were stepping into the elevator, Kara's phone buzzed. It was a message from Winn saying he had work so he couldn't make it to lunch. She told him she was going out with Mike and she would see him later that evening.

As they reached the ground floor, Mike asked, "Know any good places nearby? I mean, walking distance?"

"Yeah. There's this nice Shawarma place nearby. But it's couple of blocks away."

Mike nodded, pulling out his bike's key from his pocket. "Fancy a ride?"

Kara grinned and nodded. "Yes! I would love to."

Mike asked her to wait for few minutes as he went to get his bike. He came back driving it and handed her the helmet. Putting it on, Kara quickly climbed and wrapped her arms around his waist. Mike grinned as he started driving.

When they reached the place, Mike parked his bike under the shade of a tree and they headed in to order.

* * *

Kara and Mike sat eating their Shawarmas with fries and talking about LA and Halloween.

"So you are saying you see celebs, but you don't go take a picture with them?" Kara asked before taking a bite of a fry.

Mike shrugged. "Why should I? Especially if I'm not their fan. But I ran into Harrison Ford once." When he saw Kara's eyes widened, Mike chuckled. "Yeah! I had the same reaction. This was during Halloween five years ago. I was dressed as Han Solo and Ricky, my best friend, was dressed as Luke Skywalker, and we were at this party and it got too boring for us. So we go out, keep walking and we run into the man himself. Harrison Ford was so tall! But then again, I'm just an inch shorter. Ha!"

"Please tell me you took a photo!"

"Of course we did. And he was awesome! His wife was there too. Didn't take a picture with her, but she was so sweet."

Kara was grinning happily. "I have to see that picture, Mike! Harrison Ford is my favorite!"

"It's with Ricky. I didn't bring along most of my stuff." Mike scratched his beard and sighed. "This isn't a permanent move, you know."

Kara's smile fell. Of course, he was going to leave someday.

Mike noticed what he had just done. He had ruined a good moment. Sighing, changing the subject, he asked, "Why Barry?"

"What?" Kara looked up in surprise.

"Why did you fall in love with him?"

"I don't know, it was a silly crush and… he just returned my feelings. Love doesn't make sense, it's complicated."

Mike shook his head. "Not complicated at all. It's us who take a simple feeling and make it super complicated. Love is a journey. Each one is on a different road." Mike scratched his beard again, a bit uncomfortably. He knew he had to shave soon. "And sometimes those roads just cross. And you cross with a lot of roads before you find yourself on the one that's meant to take you on the final journey. You get what I mean? Barry was just a travel buddy. You travelled together. That journey ended, but that doesn't mean it's over. So if you think Bruce Wayne is your next travel buddy, make sure he has fuel in the car, nice music and snacks. And you are all set."

Kara sat staring at him quietly before her lips curved into a smile and she ended up laughing. "Oh my God! Mike, I didn't know you were so cheesy!"

Mike's smile fell. "What did you just call me, Blondie?!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I dunno why I love the way Mike scratches his beard. DELETE THE BEARD NOW! Did you guys like Kara pranking him for once? And Mike's comeback pranks?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter - 24**

It was already evening as Kara sat on Winn's couch, watching TV; and he was busy feeding her new fishes.

"Kare bear, these things eat a lot! We might need a bigger tank for them and better food."

Kara looked up at him and shook her head. "There's no way I can take care of all three all by myself."

"But they are only babies!"

"Exactly! I need to see if I can return them."

Winn sighed as he brought the fish bowl to the couch. He placed it on the side table and asked, "Where's Crystal? She didn't die, did she?"

Kara shook her head. "I gave her to Sofia."

"Okay, here's what we can do. You take one of the fishes. I take one. And the third can go to Donna. The Three Musketeers and their three fishes!"

Kara giggled. "Really? Then I'll take Yuki."

"Chewbacca for me!" Winn grinned. "Man, Mike loves Star Wars, doesn't he? After what you told me about him dressing up as Han Solo, I think we need to have a Star Wars movie marathon soon."

"Please don't invite him today!" Kara groaned. "He said something cheesy, I called him cheesy and he just went all un-cheesy on me."

"Too bad," Winn said. "Donna is DJing tonight and she invited Mike."

Kara sat up and her eyes widened. "Since when are Donna and Mike BFFs?!"

"Well… she's been meeting him. He frequents 'One Block East'. So I told him to come here and we can all go together!"

Just as Winn finished saying that, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Kara said before standing up and heading to get the door. When she opened it, her eyes widened. Mike stood with his arms crossed across his chest. Surprisingly, he was clean-shaven and Kara couldn't help but ask, "Are you a time traveler?"

Mike rolled his eyes at her. "Sure. Whatever you say."

He wore his usual motorcycle jacket, but why did he look so young all of a sudden? Mike stepped in and threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. "Here, I got you something," he said as he shoved a small paper bag in her hands. Then he pulled out his phone and turned it on to the front camera. Hell's Mike made an appearance as he posed with Kara who was pulling something out from the paper bag. "Say cheese, Blondie!"

"What?" Kara pulled out what looked like Brie cheese and a strong foul odor came out of it. Kara scrunched up her face just as Mike clicked a picture.

"Thanks, Blondie," he said before pocketing his phone. "Now, how's this for 'cheesy'?" He titled his head to one side and smirked.

"Ew! Mike, you are disgusting!" Kara ran into the kitchen to dispose the cheese.

Mike grinned and went to greet Winn. "Have you done something with your face?" Winn asked curiously.

"Just shaved my beard, dude!" Kara walked out just in time to hear Mike say, "Apparently I de-age whenever I shave. At least that's what my buddy's mom says. Are we ready to go?"

Winn nodded, grabbing both his and Kara's coats and handed Kara hers.

"Are you riding with us?" Kara asked as they headed outside. Instead of his helmet, Mike pulled a cap on.

"No? Why should I when I have my baby?" He smirked as he got on his bike.

Winn stood looking at the bike before he blurted, "Mike, can I please ride to the bar with you? I always wanted to sit on a motorbike!"

"Sure, buddy! Get on."

Kara's jaw dropped. _Where was she going to sit then?_ "Hey! What about me?"

Winn simply threw his car keys towards her. "Bring the car. See you there!"

Mike smirked as he gave Kara a mock salute and the boys were off. Pouting, she headed to Winn's car. The bar was pretty close to Winn's place and when Kara finally reached the place, she walked in to see Winn and Mike doing shots. She waved at Donna, who waved back swaying to the music.

Kara went and took a seat next to Mike and saw that he was winning whatever stupid challenge there was between him and Winn. Mike placed the last shot glass and threw his arms up in the air. "Ha! I win! You buy the next round!"

Kara saw her best friend whine as he finished his three shots and ordered beer for them.

"Whatcha havin', Blondie?" Mike asked before taking a sip of his beer.

"Club Soda, please," Kara said to the bartender who nodded and placed it in front of her, as if reading her mind. Kara smiled. "Thanks, Grant!"

Mike's eyes narrowed when he saw Grant wink at her and walk away to pour someone else a drink. "Yo, Blondie. That Grand dude has the hots for you!"

"First of all, his name is Grant. G-R-A-N-T. Not Grand. And no, Mike, he doesn't have the hots for me." Kara gestured towards where Grant was looking. Mike turned around to see Donna waving at the bartender.

"Ohhh! Donna," Mike muttered. He leaned closer and whispered in Kara's ear, "Does Winn know?"

Kara nodded quietly. Winn suddenly stood up, grabbing his beer. "Hey, I think we should go take a seat in the front. We can see Donna from there."

"You mean, _you_ can see Donna from there?" Mike teased.

"No! I mean all of us can see. Since we all have eyes, and Donna will _literally_ be in front of us!"

Kara shrugged when she saw Mike look at her. She followed Winn and took a seat next to him. Just as Mike was about to join them, he felt someone grab his arm and pull him towards the DJ's table.

Donna took her headphones down and bent down to talk to Mike. "Do you play?" she half-shouted because of the loud music playing nearby.

"What?" Mike shouted back. "Do I pray? Not really, Donna."

"No, silly, do you play an instrument?" Donna was leaning closer, shouting in his ear.

Mike nodded. "Guitar. Why?"

"Karaoke starts in ten. Wanna sing?"

"Sure! What song?"

Donna grinned. "Know any good Backstreet Boys one by heart?"

Mike couldn't help but chuckle. "Sure! 'I Want It That Way' is pretty easy to play. Is this a duet?"

"Yes. We will have the lyrics so don't worry if you don't remember them."

Mike nodded. "Great, so I'll see you in five? I need a drink!"

"Yeah. See ya!" Donna waved at him and went to finish her last song.

* * *

Kara had been searching for Mike but he was nowhere to be seen. She was going to go out and search for him, but Winn stopped her, telling her that Mike must have gone out to take a call or something.

Kara sat down and took a sip of her club soda. Just as she did that, she heard someone play the guitar. She spluttered her drink when she heard Mike sing, _"Yeaahhh… You are my fire, the one desire, believe when I say, I want it that way."_

Winn's eyes widened when Donna sang, looking at him, _"But we are two worlds apart, can't reach to your heart, when you say, that I want it that way."_

Both Mike and Donna start singing, _"Tell me why, ain't nothin' but a heartache. Tell me why, ain't nothin' but a mistake. Tell me why, I never wanna hear you say, I want it that way."_

Kara froze on spot as Donna and Mike continued singing and suddenly, Mike's eyes fell on Kara. _"_ _Now I can see that we're falling apart_ _,_ _from the way that it used to be, yeahhh…"_

Donna continued, _"No matter the distance_ _,_ _I want you to know_ _t_ _hat deep down inside of me..." Mike joined her. "You are my fire, the one desire."_

And they went on to sing it together, _"Don't wanna hear you say, ain't nothin' but a heartache. Ain't nothin' but a mistake (don't wanna hear you say). I never wanna hear you say (oh, yeah), I want it that way."_

Mike grinned setting the guitar down and throwing his arm over Donna's shoulder. She slipped her arm around his waist as they finished their song, _"Tell me why, ain't nothin' but a heartache. Tell me why, ain't nothin but a mistake. Tell me why, I never wanna hear you say (don't wanna hear you say), I want it that wayyyyy…"_

As the song ended, Donna clapped her hands and jumped on Mike as he caught her before she fell. He hugged her before saying, "Thank you! That was amazing!"

Donna pulled away and laughed. "I know right? We should sing again. Duet!"

"Totally!" Mike reached out to give her a fist bump. Together, they jumped down the stage and headed to where Kara and Winn were sitting.

Kara was looking at them in awe, her mouth opened a little. Mike placed his finger under her chin and said, "Close your mouth, Baby Groot." He winked and slid in next to her.

"You were amazing, Doe," Winn said, with a love-struck look in his eyes.

Donna chuckled. "You always say that. But Mike sure did sing well, so give him some credit too."

Mike grabbed Kara's club soda and finished it all in a big gulp. Setting the glass down, he asked Winn, "Yeah, man, do I even exist for you?"

Winn grinned. "Of course, buddy! You were awesome too."

Mike thanked him and turned to face Kara. "What, Blondie? No compliments?"

Kara didn't know why she felt so confused. She swore he was looking at her when he sang that song. But why? When she didn't reply, Donna said, "I think we really need to bring Kara back to our dimension. She's gone off somewhere. So how about a game of Truth or Dare and shots?"

Mike chuckled. "I know both, but not together. Explain please."

"Okay." Donna grinned. "We spin the bottle and we get to ask the one whom the bottle is pointing towards truth or dare. If they go with truth, we wait till they answer and if any of us think that person is lying, we take a shot. Understood?"

"One shot for a lie?" Mike asked. When he saw Donna nod, he understood and said, "Bring it on!"

Donna left the table to order their shots and she returned with an empty beer bottle. When the shots arrived, she asked, "Ready? I'm gonna spin it now."

When she saw Winn and Mike nod, Donna spun the bottle. It pointed towards Winn and the end was on Mike's side. Mike grinned before asking, "Truth or dare, buddy?"

Winn gulped and said, "Truth."

"Okay. Winn, are you in love with someone?"

Winn's eyes widened; he not-so-subtly looked at Donna before saying, "No. I'm not in love."

Mike was the first one to take a shot, followed by Kara, who had luckily been brought back to their dimension and finally Donna raised a single brow at Winn and took a shot. Mike spun the bottle and it landed on him.

Donna got to ask him this time. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Mike said bravely.

"Okay, Mike. You see that lady over there?" Donna asked, pointing towards a redhead, who just happened to be the owner of the bar. "I want you to get her number."

"That's easy!" Mike stood up and headed towards the lady.

"Donna, why would you do that?" Kara asked, grabbing her hand. "That lady is crazy and she will throw him out!"

"Concerned about him, Kare bear?"

Kara shook her head, a crinkle forming. "No! Why would I be concerned for Mike?!"

Just as she said that, Mike slid in next to her and pushed a piece of paper in front of Donna. Her eyes widened as she saw a phone number written on it. Pulling her phone on, she checked if it was the same number.

"Damn, Matthews. You are good!" Donna smirked.

Mike shrugged with a smile. "Shall we?" he asked as Donna spun the bottle again. It landed on Kara and the back was facing Donna.

"Well, we all know Kara will go with truth coz she's afraid of a dare," Donna mocked with a grin.

Kara frowned before taking not one but two shots. Liking the taste she ended up drinking two more. "Dare!"

"Great!" Donna clapped her hands before saying, "Kara, I dare you to kiss Mike."

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay now THAT'S a dare! But will Kara do it? Hope you liked this chapter. If you are interested in listening to that Karaoke, please go to YouTube and search for: **I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys | Official Cover Music Video by Julia Sheer & Landon Austin**

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter - 25**

Kara froze hearing the dare, but she wanted to do it. This was her only chance. She turned to look at Mike, who shrugged before saying, "You don't have to."

"If she doesn't kiss you, then she has to kiss a random stranger," Donna said. Mike looked at her in surprise. Was this how Truth or Dare was played? This wasn't his first time but if Kara didn't want to kiss him, he wasn't going to force her.

"Fine, I'll do it," Kara announced as she grabbed one of Mike's shot and drank it and was about to reach out for another one when Mike grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"This isn't water, Blondie!"

Kara scrunched her face. "Stop calling me Blondie, Brownie!"

Mike eyes widened hearing that. Before he could react, he felt Kara's hands over his shoulders as she climbed over his lap. She sat on his lap, their chests touching each other's. Cupping his face, she leaned closer, her lips touching his.

Donna pulled out her phone and opened the camera to record it. Winn looked uncomfortable, but he couldn't help but see what they were doing.

Mike sat still, not touching her. Kara started with placing a soft kiss on his lips; soon she was deepening the kiss, sucking on his lips lightly. She threw her arms around his neck, sucking on his lower lip. Kara's fingers slipped into his hair and she tugged on it gently. She bit his lower lip and Mike could feel his control slipping. He placed his hands on either side of her waist and opened his mouth as her tongue slid in and massaged his before sucking on it.

Winn looked away in embarrassment. And even Donna sat fanning herself, gulping down more shots.

Kara's grip on Mike's hair tightened when she felt his tongue slipping into her mouth. Their tongues massaged against each other's as Kara deepened the kiss and moaned when she felt something hard against her stomach. She broke the kiss with a mischievous smile on her face. Mike let out a loud sigh as he felt her hand on the back of his neck as she kissed his lips again before placing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. Mike's hold on her waist tightened. He closed his eyes when he felt Kara trailing soft but sensuous kisses over his cheek and all the way down to his neck. Without his beard, each kiss on his cheek and neck felt more intense.

Mike grabbed her upper arms, trying to stop her. He couldn't do this to her. Not when she was drunk. She would only call it a mistake the next day. He had been burned once before, he was not ready for that to happen again.

"No," he whispered when he felt her suck on his pulse point on his neck. Mike's eyes opened in shock when he felt her hand over his crotch. She was trying to undo his belt. He looked at Donna for help. He shook his head, a small moan escaping his lips.

Donna could see what was going on. She jumped up and grabbed Kara's arm. "Come on, Kara. That's enough!" she said, pulling her friend away.

Kara looked up and moaned. "No, Doe. I like doing this! I have been waiting for sooo long!"

"No, Kara!" Donna said in a stern tone, which made Kara pout and get off Mike's lap. Donna turned to face Winn. "Winny, get her some water."

Winn nodded and left the table. Donna managed to pull Kara away from Mike. Kara's face was red and all she did was stare at Mike, who look flustered. He stood up and cleared his throat.

"I should leave," he said in a low voice. Before Donna could reply, Mike grabbed his jacket and hurried out.

He walked out to get his bike, all the while running his hand through his hair, messing it up. "Shit! F*ck!" he cursed loudly, before kicking a tree and yelping lightly. Getting on his bike, Mike headed straight home. He really had to take that cold shower now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Winn and Donna managed to take Kara back to Winn's place, she was so drunk that she fell asleep in the car, and Winn had to carry her all the way to the guest bedroom.

When he walked out after putting her to bed, he frowned at Donna, who was sitting on the couch, deep in thoughts.

"Well, Donna, what a great plan you came up with!" Winn said, frowning. "Did you see what she did there? Did you see how Mike stormed away?! I won't be surprised if he never wants to talk to us again!"

"Can you please calm down? I have already texted him. He's okay!" Donna rolled her eyes at him. Winn plopped on the couch next to her.

"What do we do now?" he asked softly.

"Well, _they_ have to figure that part out. If Kara just accepts her feelings for him, it would be a lot easier, you know?"

"What if she calls it a mistake like last time?"

Donna looked at Winn, helplessly. "I really hope she doesn't do that again. Mike is not Barry. He will not keep coming back every time she pushes him away." Donna rested her against Winn's shoulder. He leaned his head over hers and smiled.

"She will be fine, Doe. She has us," Winn promised her.

* * *

The next morning, Mike woke up sweating lightly. He touched his forehead and sighed when he realized he was warm. Mike got up and went to take a shower. He didn't feel like having breakfast or even coffee, so he headed straight to work.

To his surprise, Winn was waiting for him at the reception with a cup of coffee in hand and a bright smile on his face.

"Morning, Mike!"

"Hey man, why are you here so early?" Mike asked. Taking the coffee from Winn, he thanked him and they made their way upstairs.

"Had some work to catch up to," Winn replied. "So, you okay? After everything that happened last night?"

Mike looked up and gave him a small smile. "Yeah. Took a cold shower. Actually, I talked to my friend's mother. You see, she's like a mom to me and… I just miss them a lot."

"I'm sorry, man. Can't they visit you?"

"Not really. Work and stuff. And even I can't go there now. Got a new case, needs my complete attention. Strangely, I'm feeling homesick."

The elevator stopped at the seventeenth floor. Winn patted Mike's shoulder and said, "Why don't you join me for dinner tonight? Boys' night out. I'll take you to this great Indian place near my home."

"Thanks, man! I would like that." Mike waved to Winn and headed straight to his floor. He would usually stop by Cat's and talk to her or bring her some of her favorite Bulletproof coffee. Not today. He knew he had to end things with her after he had a chat with Kara first. He owed Cat that much at least. Honesty.

He walked in to see that Kara wasn't at her desk. Mike dropped his backpack on his desk and headed straight to the break room to grab himself a sandwich. And there she was, making coffee, lost in thoughts.

"Hey!" he whispered near her ear.

Kara jumped and almost dropped the cup, but Mike managed to catch it on time. Smiling, he handed it back to her. "How are you, Kara?"

Kara's eyes widened seeing him. "Mike, hi." She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

"I… I just wanted to talk about last night," he said softly. "Look I know this is awkward, but we have to talk."

Kara suddenly found her boots interesting and she kept looking at them. A single strand slipped from behind her neck. Mike reached to push it back. Kara's looked up, her eyes widening. She moved away and his hand fell.

"Sorry," he muttered before taking a seat. "So?"

Kara bit her lower lip before letting out a loud sigh. "Mike, you have no idea how sorry I am! I can't believe I did something so stupid! And I can't believe you let me take advantage of you!"

Mike let out a chuckle. "What? Advantage? Don't worry, I was fully aware of what was happening and it was consensus."

"Michael, please, this isn't the right time for a joke." Kara shook her head. "I'm sorry I did that. I shouldn't have and if I could take it back, I would!"

Mike's smile fell hearing that. Kara took a seat as well and covered her face with her hands. "Mike, can we please pretend last night didn't happen?"

He stood up and nodded. He could feel Hell's Mike trying to come out and take control. But Eric had taught him better. He could hear his best friend's voice in his mind. _'Calm down, Mike. Don't let it get to you. Just breathe and walk out of there.'_

"Well, Blondie," Mike started. Kara's eyes shot up to him. He was smirking now. "I'm so glad we are on the same page. Last night _didn't_ happen." He winked at her and went to grab himself that sandwich. "See ya, Blondie!" Mike waved and walked out.

Kara let out a sigh. _What had she done? She had pushed him away again!_ But she felt guilty. She had received a text from Bruce that morning telling her he was coming back to Seattle for the weekend. He had asked her if she wanted to meet him again. And she had said yes. What could she possibly say to Mike after saying yes to Bruce?

Kara walked out to see that Mike was not at his desk. She reached her desk to see a Polaroid photo stuck on her monitor. It was of her holding the stinky cheesy Mike got her, and she couldn't help but laugh seeing the face he made. There was a caption underneath the picture. _'Now who's cheesy, Blondie?'_ There was a small smiley in the corner of the picture. Kara giggled and pinned the picture to the pin board over her desk.

Kara decided to get some work done. She opened her computer to see a mail notification waiting for her. It was a mail from Mike saying that he had found another case, but didn't want her mentioning it to anybody yet. Kara typed in a quick reply and told him she wouldn't talk about it. Immediately another notification popped up. Mike might not be at his desk, but he sure was getting his work done from somewhere in the office. She had to figure out his secret spot soon.

Mike's other mail was basically details and things he wanted looking up. Names of people he wanted her to get information on. Kara was just about to do that when the office phone rang. She picked it up to hear it was the security asking her to come down. A package had arrived for her and she needed to sign for it.

Kara hurried downstairs to see who could have sent her a package to work. Once she had signed it, it went through the x-ray machine and the scan showed it safe for her to open. Kara wondered whose idea was it to get an x-ray machine. Maybe it was Bruce's.

She took a seat on the couch and opened the package. It was a Coffee Subscription Box. Kara grinned happily. Whoever sent her this box knew her all too well. She opened it to see a printed note. Kara smiled a small smile when she saw it was a note from Barry.

 _'_ _Dear Kara, I'm sorry I didn't call you after reaching New York. Trust me, I call you every day and cut it before you can pick it up. I know you need space, and I really understand this time. So, I hope work is going well for you. If you are free, would like to FaceTime sometime this week? And yes, the coffee. Only the best for you, Kare bear, every month. I personally loved the Roaster's Choice. I'm sure you will love it too. Anyway, I gotta go now. Talk soon, Kara. Love you!'_

Kara smiled as she placed the letter back in the box. Suddenly a hand shot out and grabbed a pack of coffee.

"What's this you got here, Blondie?" Mike asked as he examined the coffee pouch. "Oooh! COFFEE! OH MY GOD! I WANT!"

"Mike, give it back!" Kara pleaded. "It's from Barry and… please, he will feel bad if you do something…"

Mike mock pouted. "Ooh! Blondie doesn't trust me." Suddenly, he was giving her his trademark smirk. "If you want this, Blondie, then you have to catch me first." Saying that, he laughed and ran away.

"MIKE, COME BACK HERE!" Kara yelled before running after him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Kara is not exactly my favorite person right now, she keeps hurting the boo. :( But hey! Barry is back. Well, you will get to see a lot of Barry... being mentioned, if not the person. But he will be back very soon. How did you like the hot kiss? Not really slow burn, huh? XD

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter - 26**

If anyone had thought that Kara was an athletic type of girl, they would have been wrong. She was the kind of the girl who couldn't run fast to save her life. Neither was she into sports. But if anyone saw Kara now, chasing after Mike who was running around with her coffee pouch, they would think she was a marathon runner.

Mike turned around to look at her, Kara was glaring at him and he couldn't help but make a silly face.

"Mike, stop!" Kara yelled.

He laughed and turned the corner, running into someone. Mike moved back in horror when he saw a tall, beautiful brunette looking at him in surprise. She wore a white skirt suit and had her long locks in a tight ponytail. And he swore he had seen her before.

"Sorry," Mike said before walking away quickly and sprinting off.

Kara had just run in after Mike, but when her eyes fell on her sister-in-law (well, it was about time she started calling Diana her sister-in-law since the wedding was less than a month away), Kara gave her a bright smile before saying, "Hi Diana! Bye Diana!"

Diana Prince stood looking at Kara in surprise. The man whom Kara was chasing, he was at her engagement party. The same guy Barry got into a fight with. And of course, her sister had mentioned a certain Mike Matthews more than once in the last week. _A chat was imminent_ , Diana decided.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kara had followed Mike all the way up to the cafeteria and she was out of breath. She sat down and panted lightly. She could see him peeping from behind the door, a huge grin on his face.

"I give up!" Kara called. Just as she said that, her phone rang. It was Barry facetiming her. Before Kara could answer, Mike pulled the phone out of her hand and clicked answer. "MIKE, PLEASE STOP!"

The video loaded and Mike saw Barry's smile fall seeing him. "Hiya, Bartholomew! So kind of you to send Kara some freakin' expensive coffee."

"What the hell, Michael?" Barry frowned. "Where is Kara?"

"Here!" Mike grinned as he plopped next to Kara and showed Barry the coffee pouch. "Roaster's Choice, huh? I'm sure Kara and I will enjoy it wholeheartedly! You are so kind, Bartholomew! I would have kissed you if you were here. But since you are not, I have to manage with whoever is close to me!" Turning to face a very surprised Kara, Mike asked, "Right, Blondie?" Saying that, he leaned closer and smacked a loud kiss on her cheek. Kara's eyes widened. Barry looked as if he was gonna throw up.

"GET AWAY FROM HER, MICHAEL!" Barry yelled.

Mike laughed and gave Kara her phone back. Winking at her, he left the cafeteria with his newly acquired coffee pouch that he loved carrying around.

"Kara?" Barry called. "Kara, you stay away from that guy! Or else I'm coming back home ASAP!"

"Bar…" Kara looked at him and scratched her head in confusion. "What just happened?"

"Oh, Kare bear." Barry sighed and gave her a small smile. "I miss you so much."

Kara's eyes softened. "I miss you too, Bar. Will I be seeing you at Clark's wedding?"

Barry shrugged. "I'm not sure. But I'll sure try to be there. You be careful."

"Always am." Kara gave him a small nod. She knew what he was talking about. Mike was his biggest concern. Always.

* * *

Mike was on his way back to his desk when he saw the same lady from earlier waiting near the elevator.

"Mr. Matthews," she called with a pleasant smile. "I'm Diana Prince. Donna's sister."

"Oh, yes!" Mike smiled. "It was _your_ engagement party! I'm so very sorry, Miss Prince."

"Please, it's Diana. And you shouldn't worry about that party, it's over now."

"Thanks. And if it's Diana, then please call me Mike."

"Okay, Mike. Walk with me?" Diana pressed the call button on the elevator and waited.

"Sure." Mike wondered why his boss's fiancée wanted to have a word with him. His eyes widened when he realized it could be about Kara.

"How are you liking Seattle?" Diana asked as she stepped into the elevator. Mike followed her in.

"It's nice. A bit cold for me."

"You are from Los Angeles," Diana stated. Confidence exuded from her as she said that. She knew, she knew a lot.

"Sunny LA, yeah. How about you?"

Diana looked up in surprise. _Maybe not many people asked her that_ , Mike thought. She smiled before saying, "I was born in London. We lived there for couple of years before moving to Seattle. Donna was six. She started school here."

"So you _are_ British!"

"Dual nationality." The elevator came to stop in the ground floor and Mike followed Diana out. "Having two passports has its advantages. I have family in London. I can visit them whenever I want. Anyway, enough of the small talk, let's get straight to what I really wanted to talk about."

Mike nodded quietly. He tried to stay calm when Diana said, "I know what happened at the bar, Mike. My sister doesn't really hide things from me. I just want to let you know that the Kents are still surprised after Kara's pictures with Bruce came out. Clark hasn't talked to Kara about it because I asked him not to. Let's just say he isn't happy with all this. And now, coming back to your infamous kiss." Mike winced hearing that, making Diana laugh. "Let me ask you this, Mike, do you have feelings for Kara?"

Mike had a straight face now. He could feel _himself_ burning inside, screaming no. But a part of him was confused. He simply shook his head and said, "No, Diana. She's just a friend. And she's also my cousin's ex-girlfriend whom he loved very much… I don't see where this could go."

Diana had a coy smile on her face. She knew he was a good liar. "I have known Kara since she was a child. She always dreamt of a prince and for a very long time she thought Barry was the one. But my sister-in-law doesn't know some princes ride motorbikes too!"

Mike's eyes widened hearing that. He was about to reply when he heard someone call Diana's name. They turned around to see Clark half-walking, half-running towards them.

"Hello, love." Diana smiled as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

"Hey, how are you feeling now?" Clark asked in concern.

"Good. A bit hungry, but I'm fine."

Clark turned to face Mike and said, "Hi Mike. Thanks for keeping Diana company. I'll see you later. We are getting late for an appointment."

"I've already called the clinic, Kal. Calm down." Diana patted his cheek and he let out a loud sigh. Then she turned to Mike and smiled brightly. "Just think about what I said, Mike. Times are changing. Princes have chosen a better means of transport." She grabbed Clark's hand and they walked away.

"Thanks, Miss Prince," Mike called after her. Diana turned around and winked before letting go of Clark's hand and slipping her arm around his waist. Clark threw his arm over her shoulder and kissed her forehead lovingly.

Mike decided not to ponder on Diana's words a lot. He was here to do something important. There was no time for love or relationships. It wasn't as if he hadn't tried that before. And he wouldn't call it a complete disaster. Love was anything but a disaster.

Mike had made his way upstairs. He decided to head to the cafeteria to get something to eat when he suddenly stopped outside at the lounge to text his favorite brunette when he suddenly felt himself falling face first with someone on his back.

* * *

As Mike stood looking at his phone, Kara, who had been hiding behind a tall bush waiting for him, jumped on his back, catching him off guard.

"Oww!" Mike cried as he turned around, rubbing his forehead. Kara fell off his back. He dropped his phone and the coffee pouch, and grabbed her by her wrists. Kara managed to get on top of him and they wrestled on the floor till she managed to lean on top of him and pin his hands over his head.

Mike smirked, suddenly liking this position all too well.

"Ha! Got you!" Kara grinned as she looked at him. He was making no move to tackle her. All he did was smirk. Kara's eyes fell on his deep blue-grey eyes before they moved down to his lips. Suddenly, memories of last night flooded in and she wanted a repeat of it.

They looked into each other's eyes for a couple of seconds before Kara leaned down. What they hadn't noticed was that someone stood by the door, arms crossed across their chest, shooting daggers at Kara. Just as Kara moved closer, they heard _that someone_ clear their throat.

Both Mike and Kara's eyes shot up to see Cat standing there, looking unimpressed. Cat's expression screamed that she was so jealous that she could murder someone right now.

"Keira, if you don't mind, I would rather not have my man on the dirty floor or underneath _you_. Mike, please get up before someone sees you, Babe."

Mike nodded and moved Kara to one side and stood up, picking his phone and the coffee pouch. Cat grabbed his hand and glared at Kara before pulling Mike out of the lounge. He turned around and gave Kara a sheepish smile and a wave before leaving with Cat.

Kara went back downstairs, still confused about what had just happened. Mike was turning her into a wildcat and most of the time she had no control over herself.

As she made her way to her desk, she saw Mike sitting on his chair with Cat on his lap. She was grinning about something. Cat's eyes shot up to Kara. She narrowed her eyes before turning to face Mike. "So, babe, will I see you at my place tonight?"

Mike nudged her cheek with his nose, breathing in her scent. "No can do, babe. Dinner plans with a friend."

Cat ran her fingers through his hair, curious about who this friend could be. Kara, who sat looking at them, was also curious whom Mike was meeting later. If not Cat, _who_?

Suddenly, Cat bit Mike's ear lobe and placed a kiss underneath his ear. He looked up at Kara, who looked as if she was going to throw up.

Cat moved back, shifting on Mike's lap. She threw her arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer and said in a clear, loud voice, for Kara's benefit, "Mike, I don't care how long that dinner takes, but I want to see you at my place afterwards. Capiche?"

"Whatever you want, babe." Mike grinned before pecking her lips quickly.

After Cat left, Mike got back to work and for the very first time he didn't bother Kara all evening. The new case was something big, Kara knew that, but the way Mike occupied himself with it made Kara wonder just how serious he could get about these things.

He hadn't been lying earlier when he said he was going to meet a friend for dinner. That friend was Winn, and the boys went to the Indian restaurant near Winn's place.

Mike didn't have many friends, but the handful he had never had family problems like he did. So he was surprised when Winn told him about his father who was arrested for hacking into a server of a big company. Winn didn't talk to his father much, but he did call him once in a while to see how he was doing. When Winn asked Mike about his parents, all he said was, "No folks, man. I'm a lone wolf."

Surprisingly, both boys found it easy to talk to each other. They even ended up making plans to have a Karaoke night at 'One Block East'. Just as they were heading outside after dinner, Winn got a call from Donna. Mike also checked his phone to see two messages. One was from Eric telling him that his mom was back and he could call her in the morning. The other was from Cat asking him to come to her place soon.

Mike smirked as he typed, _'On my way, babe.'_

Winn looked at him and chuckled. "Any special plans, buddy?"

"Oh… you know, board games. Just stuff _friends_ do." Mike winked as he got on his bike.

"Sure, man. If you say so." Winn chuckled. "Have fun then! See you tomorrow."

"Hey, thanks for dinner, buddy. I had fun! See you at work!" Mike put on his helmet, waved goodbye and took off. Cat had been waiting for few hours, and he didn't like to keep a girl waiting.

* * *

 **A/N:** A lot of fun and some SuperWonder (always warms my heart). And of course, Barry! :D How are you liking KarMike now?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter** \- **27**

Waking up early in the morning to go on a walk was _not_ something Kara Kent had signed up for. But when Donna walked into her room like her personal tornado, Kara moaned as her friend dragged her out of the bed.

The girls then went to the waterfront park for a walk. It did feel weird without Winn, but since he had been out late having dinner with Mike, he didn't want to wake up early.

"I can't believe he went to Cat's place after dinner." Kara huffed. "I can't believe she's been throwing up lately," Donna said simultaneously. The girls stopped and looked at each other.

"You go first," Kara said.

"It's Diana. I saw her throw up at least three times. I think she's pregnant."

Kara's jaw dropped and soon she was grinning and jumping over Donna. "OH MY GOD, DOE! WE ARE GOING TO BE AUNTS!"

Donna chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Yeah. But if she _is_ pregnant, why hasn't she told us yet? Oh, by the way, did your folks or Clark ask you about Bruce?"

"Nope. Why?"

"Overheard Di and Clark talk about it. And also about a doctor's appointment."

Kara smiled brightly. "Well, I want this to be true. I can't wait to be an aunt! Oh my God, babies. I love babies!"

Donna rolled her eyes at Kara good-naturedly. "Of course you do!"

The girls began to walk again and suddenly Kara let out a gasp. "What is it?" Donna asked. All Kara did was point towards a group of people doing Tai Chi.

"It's him!" Kara muttered, pointing at someone.

Donna had to wait for the person to turn to see it was Mike. He had just lifted his left leg and made some shuffling movements with his arms and turned around.

A 'wow' escaped Kara's lips as she adjusted her glasses for a better view. Mike's Tai Chi movements were carefully precise as if he knew what he was doing.

"Did you just point him out of a bunch of strangers by seeing his butt?" Donna asked, smirking lightly.

"Well, Doe, that's a fine butt." Kara grinned. Just as she said that, Mike did what looked like a closing pose with the others. He bent down to grab a hand towel. His eyes fell on Kara and Donna when he stood up straight. Mike grinned and waved to them. Throwing the towel over his shoulder, he jogged towards them.

"Morning, ladies! What brings you here?"

"Mike, hey!" Donna greeted with a big smile. "You come here every day?"

"Yeah! Tai Chi every morning… well, not really. I end up missing some of the sessions." He smiled as he ran his hand through his hair. "So, jogging?"

"Walking," Donna replied.

Mike nodded and turned to look at Kara, who was simply staring at him. "Yo, Blondie! You checkin' me out?" Seeing Mike smirk, Kara's scrunched her face. So he moved closer and continued, "You know, I will let you take a pic of the ass so you can stare at it all day. Just pay me 100 bucks!"

He held his hand out. Kara cringed at that, a crinkle forming on her forehead. "Thanks, but no thanks. I've already seen it. It's nothing special." With that, she gave him a bright smile and turned away. "Let's go, Doe."

Donna looked at Mike, who was trying to act as if Kara's words hadn't bothered him at all. But Donna knew that his ego was hurt. "See you later, Matthews!"

Mike waved her goodbye and turned in the opposite direction. He walked away but turned back to glance at Kara. Seeing her talking to Donna about something and laughing, he smiled and turned around, his phone ringing just then. He picked it up to see it was Eric's mom calling him. Grinning, he answered the phone.

"Nothing special, huh?" Donna asked, chuckling lightly.

"Well, a girl's gotta lie sometimes!" Kara laughed and turned around to see Mike. He was ruffling his hair, talking to someone on the phone.

Kara hadn't known that that would be the last time in three days that she would have a proper conversation with Mike. Three days flew by quickly, but Mike was mostly out all the time. He was still carrying her coffee pouch around, improvising it by drawing a pair of shades on it. He had nicknamed it 'Barry' too. So Kara wasn't surprised when Mike once asked her to babysit his _Barry_ while he went out.

* * *

On the third day, she didn't see him at all since it was Saturday and he would probably be with Cat, doing stuff that only made her want to throw up.

Kara's day started with talking to Barry. FaceTime was pretty nice when he was so far away. Kara skipped the part about Mike's new coffee pet 'Barry', but she mentioned about Bruce Wayne. Barry gave her a small smile and said, "If you are happy, I am happy. You already know that."

She knew Barry didn't mean anything he said. The hurt evident in his eyes. Kara dropped that and asked him about New York and if he liked it. He told her that he missed home. Missed her.

"I miss you too, Bar. Hope to see you soon."

"Me too." Barry gave her a sad smile. "We could have done that long-distance thing, you know? I mean, we are doing video chats and texting now."

Kara giggled. "Too late, Allen. And send me some pictures, please. You don't post any on Instagram anymore."

Barry frowned lightly. "Mike sure does."

"What?"

"Now who's cheesy, Blondie?"

"Oh, that!" Kara shrugged. "That cheese was rotten, by the way. And since when do you follow Mike's Instagram? Wait… he has one?" Kara grabbed her phone and started searching for Mike, but couldn't find him. "What's his username, Bar?"

Barry rolled his eyes hearing that. "You don't wanna know."

"Tell me, Allen."

"HellsMike," Barry muttered.

Kara chuckled. "Say that again. Hell's Mike?"

"Yeah, H and M are uppercase, no apostrophe or space. But seriously, you shouldn't be looking at that."

"Umm… what the hell, he follows both Winn and Donna! Bar, I gotta go. Talk later, okay?"

"Kara, wait, I hav—" Kara cut the call knowing Barry would probably send her a text about whatever he wanted to talk about. She followed Mike's account before checking what he had posted. His latest pic was of him and Winn from the night before; Winn was talking to someone on the phone, and Mike made a screaming face. The caption read, _'He's talking to Donna while on a Boys' Night Out with me! Noooo!'_

Mike had also posted the pic of them and that stupid cheese. Kara smiled before liking that and Winn's pic. Mike's profile pic was of him and another guy. He was smiling for the camera and his friend, who Kara assumed was Eric, was looking somewhere else. Mike looked young. He wore a beanie and glasses.

Kara scrolled through his account to see a lot of random clicks, mostly of his friend Eric's. There were a lot of pictures of Eric and him. Kara smiled looking at the pictures. These were Mike's precious memories that he was willing to share. He was so secretive about his life that she didn't know much. Kara did notice that there weren't any pictures of his mother, only few of his father's. Mike did look a lot like his dad.

She had scrolled down couple of years and stopped when she saw a picture of him taking a selfie with the same beanie and glasses he wore in his profile pic, but he looked at bit older. _It's the beard, silly_ , Kara thought. _He always looks older with a beard._ Behind Mike was a young lady riding a bicycle. And the caption read, _'Georgie finally learnt to ride a bike.'_

"Who is Georgie?" Kara asked herself as she went back to see more pictures.

There was one with Mike pointing at the camera and the Georgie lady holding a small dog. He had captioned it, _'Tim, pose for the camera.'_ The location showed Piccadilly Circus.

Kara let out a small sigh. There were a lot of pictures of different places. But the one that caught her eyes was another selfie. Mike was making a goofy face as the Georgie lady made a heart with her fingers. She looked very happy. Kara winced reading the caption, _'Is that a heart, Georgie?'_

For some reason, the Georgie lady looked older than Mike, that's when Kara remembered Cat. Cat was older too. What if Mike only liked older women? And all these pictures of Georgie and him only showed that they were in a relationship. And if she was indeed an ex, he hadn't bothered deleting a single picture of hers from his Instagram.

Kara could no longer sit there and see his pictures with this Georgie lady anymore. She closed the app and threw her phone on the bed and plopped on it. She closed her eyes and felt herself drifting off to sleep.

Kara only woke up when her phone rang. She jumped up to see it was Bruce calling her. Kara quickly checked the time to see it was already evening and she had a date with Bruce.

Kara clicked the answer button and said, "Hi Bruce! I was just getting ready."

She heard him chuckle before he said, "Take your time. I'm waiting outside in the car."

Kara didn't take a lot of time changing. She decided to skip makeup, just wanting to see how Bruce would react. She applied some lip-gloss hastily and hurried out of the house.

Bruce was leaning against his Lamborghini, and Kara couldn't help but smile when she noticed he had skipped the suit. Instead he wore a dark blue button-down shirt and black jeans. Untucked shirt, ruffled hair... Bruce almost looked younger.

"Good evening," he greeted her with a dazzling smile and a kiss to her cheek.

"Hi. No suit?" Kara grinned as he opened the door for her. "Oh, no Chauffeur too?"

"I like driving sometimes. Especially when I have a date with a beautiful girl."

Kara blushed and looked away. She was trying her hardest to resist any kind of attraction with Bruce, but he wasn't making it easy.

Once he got in, he asked, "Where would you like to go?"

Kara was surprised to hear that. Bruce was letting her decide? "Hold on," she said as she quickly texted Donna to see if she was at 'One Block East'. When Donna texted back with a quick _'Yes, Winn is here too.'_ Kara told Bruce that they could go to _OBE_.

Bruce used the GPS and started driving. Kara suddenly remembered the day she went riding on Mike's bike. He was lost when it came to directions. But it was fun to guide him around.

Bruce drove fast and in no time he was parking outside OBE and was looking around for a valet.

"I'm guessing there's no valet?" he asked Kara, who shook her head and told him the parking was just to his right. Nodding, Bruce drove towards the parking lot.

She hadn't expected for him to take her hand in his, but she didn't stop him either. Hand in hand they walked into the bar. Kara spotted Donna first, who was DJing again, and Winn was busy dancing without a care in the world. But what made Kara cringe was the fact that Cat Grant sat on Mike's lap, making out with him in front of everyone.

"Is that… Cat Grant?" Bruce asked in surprise.

And that's when Kara realized that _the_ _Cat_ had its paws on not only Mike but also Bruce before that.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, Mike's Instagram page and pictures he has posted are on **my** Twitter page. If you aren't following me, you could, you know? ;) So you get updates on the stories and also see the cool pics. My twitter is - samayerswrites.

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter - 28**

Winn was the first to come and greet Kara and Bruce. He led them towards the counter where Mike and Cat were busy making out. Winn patted Mike's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Kara is here with Bruce."

Mike broke the kiss and turned around to see Kara frowning at him, and Bruce had a small knowing smile on his face. "Matthews, hello," he greeted Mike.

"Hi, Mr. Wayne, what brings you here?" Mike cleared his throat when he noticed Bruce was looking at Cat.

"Oh, nothing. Making sure Miss Grant here gets something for her gossip column." Bruce smirked.

"Oh, Bruce, you are no fun!" Cat chuckled. "Let's face it, it's gossip that sells the paper."

"I respectfully disagree," Mike said before sipping on some club soda. Kara's eyes widened. _Since when did Mike like club soda?_ "It's good news that sells. And also news that makes one work hard to get. Like the journalists risking their lives during wars and basically not caring what happens to them, still striving towards their goal. That's the news that sells, Cat. Gossip exists only because people get bored and need some kind of entertainment. What was posted earlier about Mr. Wayne and Kara, total invasion of privacy? Sure! If I were in Mr. Wayne's place, I would have sued."

Cat couldn't help but smile hearing this. _Was Mike going out of his way to protect Kara?_ It sure looked like that.

Bruce ordered himself some whisky and a club soda for Kara before saying, "Well, Matthews, I can't really sue my own paper now, can I? Cheers! Also, I agree with every word you said. For instance, the smuggling ring case. We all know how dangerous that was. What's your deal, Matthews? You can't stop yourself from staying out of trouble?"

"Life is short, Mr. Wayne, I would like to play a game of life and death every day. Who knows, someday I will be lucky and win it."

"Win as in you get to live?" Kara asked, a bit curious after hearing his cryptic words.

Mike chose not to answer that question. He simply smirked and raised his glass. Winn joined Bruce and Mike and they started talking about sports, so Kara decided to go say hi to Donna.

Kara was just making towards the DJ table when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned around to see it was Cat. "A word, Keira?"

"Sure," Kara replied, uncertain about what Cat wanted to talk. She followed Cat to the back. "What is it?"

"Keira, I'll only say this once, Mike is not interested in you, darling. He's with me."

Kara couldn't help but chuckle, she stopped herself when she saw Cat frown. "Sorry," Kara said. "Look, what are you talking about? I don't care if he's interested in me or whatever, I'm with Bruce now."

"Sure, honey. You are Bruce's flavor of the month. He will dump you sooner or later, then what?" Cat crossed her arms across her chest. "Back off, Kara Kent. Mike is mine. And if you haven't figured it out already, he likes older women. Do yourself a favor and look up _'theladyhawthorne'_ in his Instagram following list or just check his Instagram and you'll know everything."

Kara knew that Cat was talking about Georgie. So her guess was right. Mike had a relationship with that Georgie lady.

Cat suddenly smirked at her. "I don't blame you, Keira. He is hot and you can't resist him. Mike Matthews is like a drug, taste it once, you keep coming back for more. I'm sure you will find someone nice. Don't worry, you are still young." Waving at Kara, Cat walked away.

Kara let out a loud sigh. This was embarrassing. She had to talk to Mike and ask him to control his girlfriend. But before she could do that, Winn had challenged her to see who does more shots. She won, obviously. But she was feeling a bit light as she turned to see Mike talking to someone on the phone and exiting through the back. Kara excused herself when she saw Bruce talking to Cat. She followed Mike out and heard him say, "Yeah, Nora isn't ready to talk about it. But I'm guessing I'm getting closer… No. No, bro. I'm pretty sure it's Seattle. Yeah, well, she could have moved! Okay, I'll let you know." Mike turned around to see Kara, he let out a sigh before saying, "Ricky, I gotta go. I'll call you later."

Mike cut the call and pocketed his phone. "Sup, Blondie?"

"Your girlfriend is such a jerk!" Kara said as she leaned against the wall.

Mike's face lit up. "Excuse me? Girlfriend? And I think bitch would be gender appropriate, but that's just me."

"Cat Grant! She told me to back off. Ha! As if I'm interested!"

"Blondie, you high? What are you even talking about?"

Kara frowned. "You know, Mike, what's your problem? You talk a lot! And you are such a flirt. And you go around pretending to be a dating expert. Were you ever serious about _anyone_?"

Mike laughed. "Wow! Look at you, Blondie, talking as if you know _everything_ about dating! Did you date anyone before Barry? Did you at least kiss anyone before Barry? No? I thought so. No wonder you can't kiss properly!"

"OOHHH! So when I last kissed you, you didn't feel _anything_? NOTHING?"

"Nope! I didn't feel anything at all." Mike shrugged. He expected her to get mad at him and storm off, but what he hadn't expected was her pushing him against the wall and crashing her soft lips over his. But she pulled away too soon.

"What? You call that a kiss?" Mike mocked her.

"Of course it's a kiss… what would you know, you big, stupid dudebr—" Before Kara could finish what she was saying, Mike had turned them around, had her pinned against the wall and was kissing her fervently. Kara moaned against his lips as her hands grabbed his hair tightly. He ran his hands over the small of her back. Mike bit her lower lip enticing another moan. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth, basically paying back for what she did last time. Mike lifted her up against the wall and made her wrap her legs around his waist. Kara pulled away and panted loudly. When she felt Mike's lips kissing and sucking the pulse point on her neck, she moaned even louder.

"WHAT THE F*CK!"

Mike looked up to see Donna standing at the door, her eyes widened in shock. Just as he saw her, he dropped Kara and moved away. He raised his arms up. "I'm innocent!"

Kara, who had fallen down with a loud thump, looked up and groaned. "Damn you, Mike Matthews!" she yelled.

Mike grinned as he saw her, before he knew it he was laughing. He was clutching his stomach and laughing loudly. Donna couldn't help but crack a grin too. Kara looked red as she sat down looking at them with her large puppy dog eyes, her lips swollen from the kiss. She looked like an abandoned puppy and all Mike wanted to do was take her back home.

Mike was about to help Kara up when he got a call. He pulled out his phone and clicked answer, his mood shifting as he seriously asked, "What did you find?"

Kara looked up at Donna, who reached out and helped her up.

Mike covered the phone with his hand and turned to face the girls. "Donna, can you please tell Cat I'm heading home? Got some important work to do."

"Sure, but didn't you guys arrive here together?" Donna asked.

Mike shook his head. "She drives a car and hates bikes. Bye, you two. Give my best regards to Mr. Wayne, Kara." Saying that, Mike turned around and walked away to the parking lot. The girls could hear him say, "No. Maybe some posh neighborhood? I don't know. You were supposed to _find_ her! Oh, stop this bullshit. I'm not paying you for excuses!"

"What's that about?" Kara asked. "He called me Kara. He never calls me Kara unless he's serious or mad!"

"He's just human. He has problems too." Donna turned around to go in. She did find Cat flirting with Bruce. She gave her Mike's message, but Cat was too busy to even care.

"So, Bruce," Donna spoke, her eyes narrowing a little at this man.

All he did was smirk. "Yes, Donna?"

"I'm having an art exhibit tomorrow. Why don't you be a dear and be Kara's date?" Donna looked at Kara and smiled, Kara was shaking her head, but Donna had a plan and didn't want her best friend spoiling that. "Oh, Cat, why don't you come too?"

"Me?" Cat asked in surprise. _She wasn't really their friend. Why did Donna want her there?_

"Yeah! Mike's gonna be there," Donna replied. "So obviously _you_ will be his date, right?"

Cat looked at Kara and smirked. "Of course, if Mike is going, so am I. Thanks, Donna. I'm guessing I'll be seeing you lot tomorrow."

Things were obviously not the same after Mike left. Kara was bothered by Cat's words. So when Bruce couldn't pull himself away from Cat who was busy telling something funny, Kara announced that she wasn't feel well and wanted to go home. Bruce offered to take her back, but Kara told him to stay and enjoy. Winn decided to stay back and talk to Cat and Bruce, who were letting him share his funny stories too. So when Donna drove Kara back home, she asked her if something was bothering her.

"Cat cornered me earlier. Told me to back off," Kara explained.

"What the f*ck! Why would she do that?" Donna yelled. "I'm so turning the car back and taking care of that bitch!"

"Calm down, Doe. She's just worried about her boyfriend. And that's not what I'm worried about. You follow him on Instagram, right? So you must have seen _her_."

Donna was quiet for a while. Then she exclaimed, "Ooohhh! That short-haired brunette! Well, you didn't expect him to not have any relationships in the past, did you?"

"No, that's not it. He just seems so mysterious and his past… he doesn't talk about himself much, does he?"

Donna shrugged. "Why would he? He just became friends with us. I saw him interacting with his friend though. By the way, do you follow him?"

"I do! But he doesn't follow me back." Kara pouted.

"Cheer up, he must not know you are following him. Why don't you unfollow him now and follow him back? But see if he's online first."

"How would I even know that?"

Donna rolled her eyes before saying, "Click that notification button on his profile. You will get notified whenever he posts."

Kara quickly pulled her phone out and did that. Just as she pressed that button, a notification popped up. Mike had posted something. She refreshed her newsfeed to see a picture of an older man, who looked a lot like Mike. At least they shared their smirk. Underneath the photo was a caption, _'Miss you, Dad…'_

"He has posted a pic of his dad, says he misses him," Kara said.

"Great! Comment under it and let him know you are there if he wants to talk," Donna replied. "This way he will know it's you, and he will also follow you."

"Okay, I'll do th—" Before Kara could finish speaking, she saw a comment pop up under Mike's caption. It was from Mike's best friend Eric and it read, _'Bro, I'm here. Talk to me.'_ Sighing, Kara told Donna that Mike already has a shoulder to lean on.

Donna glanced at her friend. She knew Kara wanted to be there for Mike, but Mike wasn't Barry. He wasn't the kind of guy who let anyone near him. She had seen his Instagram. She had seen what he had posted. By the looks of it, there were handful of people Mike cared about. But was Kara one of them? That's what Donna had to find out.

* * *

 **A/N:** When Kara and Mike kiss, there's always some kinda fireworks! XD I hope they will up their game now.

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't forget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter - 29**

Clark Kent stood fidgeting with his tie, looking at a piece of modern art in front of him. Art was beyond him. Give him a piece of poetry to read, it would have kept him entertained or even watching football on the TV would do. But no, he had to be at an art exhibit trying to figure out just what was in front of him.

Clark sighed and kneaded his forehead. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see it was Diana. Giving her a small smile, he said, "This art is lost to me."

Diana couldn't help but chuckle. "Darling, it's just a painting of a man walking in rain."

Clark scrunched his face and Diana smiled when she saw a crinkle on his forehead. "But why is there so much orange?"

"Because she painted rain during fall. Kal, darling, let's just move on and see the other paintings. The masterpiece is that way."

"Hey Sis, B-I-L!" They heard Donna call out loud. Clark and Diana turned around to greet her. Donna hugged her sister and smirked at Clark. "What, no hugs?"

"B-I-L sounds like some kinda seasonal special burger," Clark replied, moving forward for a hug. "And nice job, kid. Beautiful fall rain. You can totally see the man walking without an umbrella."

"Wait, you understand the painting?" Donna asked in mock surprise. "Oh my God, Di, is Clark secretly taking art lessons just to understand what _I_ paint?"

Clark shrugged, his arm sliding over Diana's waist. "You know, I've a great teacher." He winked at Diana who gave him a big smile in return.

"Ugh! Get a room, you two." Donna made a face. "Oh wait, you already did. That's why there's a bun in the over… You really thought I wouldn't know?" Winking at the surprised couple, she headed back to join Winn and Mike. But when she saw Kara walking in with Bruce, Donna waved to her and went to say hi to them.

* * *

Kara had walked in with Bruce to see Donna waving at her. She smiled and was about to go greet her when she saw Clark looking at her. To say Clark looked displeased would be the understatement of the century. Diana, on the other hand, had a pleasant smile as she grabbed Clark's hand and made her way towards them. Kara greeted the Prince sisters with a big hug. Grinning, she touched Diana's tummy lightly.

Diana smiled as she hugged her again and said, "I'm guessing Donna told you."

"You guessed right." Kara gave her a knowing smile and stepped back to see Clark and Bruce talking. Civil, sure, but not friendly as they normally would be.

"Diana, you look lovely," Bruce said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. Clark looked away and rolled his eyes. Bruce then shook hands with Donna and asked her about her paintings. She ended up walking him through everything and to her surprise, Bruce bought more than three of her paintings including the masterpiece.

As Bruce busied himself, Kara was busy looking around for Winn. Clark was in a bad mood and she didn't want to be lectured by him now. But it was also because she knew Mike would be hanging out with Winn. And there he was… busy drinking a glass of champagne, admiring the masterpiece.

It was of a lonely man standing on the edge of a rock-covered beach, the water crashing onto the rocks, making the man look almost vulnerable.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Winn asked Mike, before taking a sip of the champagne.

"Indeed. Imagine if this man moved few inches farther," Mike replied. "The sea would take ahold of him in its long, menacing clutches, dragging him to the deep darkness, where there is absolutely no escape. What a way to go…"

"What a _sad_ way to go," Kara interrupted him. Mike turned around to see her. His eyes trailed over the dress she wore, it was a black top, short hands with a deep neck and the long skirt had beautiful black and pink flower pattern in silk. His eyes seemed to be stuck on her cleavage though. So when she chuckled and said, "My eyes are up here, Mike." He looked up and shrugged.

"But the boobs are down there, Blondie."

Winn spluttered his drink and coughed lightly. Mike patted his back and said, "Careful, man, you don't wanna choke and die at Donna's art exhibit. She will find a way to resurrect you and kill you again."

Winn couldn't help laugh, but Kara was looking at Mike in shock. _How did he know Donna so well? Were they spending time together? Was it at the bar?_

Kara was about to voice her thoughts, but Winn interrupted her by saying, "I'm gonna go get myself a glass of water. And I'll bring back some champagne for you, Kare bear. Anything for you, buddy?" He asked Mike.

"I'm good, man."

Once Winn left, awkward silence loomed between them. Mike was back to admiring Donna's masterpiece, and Kara was busy looking at him.

"You know I can see you," Mike said nonchalantly.

"How's the new case going?" Kara asked, trying to distract him.

Mike looked at her with a smirk. "Checking me out and now changing the subject when caught, huh, Blondie? Not nice… And the case is going great, thanks for asking."

"Why haven't you taken me along with you yet? I know you barely stay at the office."

"Seriously, this is _not_ like the previous one. You are better off at the office. Sit this one down."

"Or you are just scared I'll do a better job that you." Kara shrugged. "Let's face it, I'm awesome!"

Mike looked at her and shook his head. He looked around for a couple of seconds before saying, "I need to go find Cat. She was right here. Where did she go? See ya, Blondie."

Kara sighed when she saw Mike walk away, but Winn had returned just then and someone from the local newspaper approached them and asked them what they felt about their friend's artworks.

* * *

When Clark noticed Kara talking to someone from the press and Diana busy talking to the other guests, he made his way towards Bruce, who was paying for the paintings he had purchased.

Bruce looked up when Clark approached him. "Buying anything for your girlfriend, Kent?"

"Why buy one when my sister-in-law can paint one for me and my _fiancée_ , Bruce?" Clark crossed his arms across his chest. "So, you and my sister, huh? Funny, I thought you liked to date models and actresses. Never though my _baby sister_ would be your type."

Bruce took a sip of the champagne before saying, "Your sister is beautiful and smart. I don't see why this is troubling you so much."

"Because she just got out of a relationship! Did you even bother asking her that? NO! You know what your problem is, Bruce? As long as the girl is beautiful and has a bit of a brain, you want her. Very simple. You don't care if the said _woman_ has feelings or whatever you think she has to make this work! My sister is not some… _'Flavor of the month'_! Her face is splattered all across the gossip sites. This is not good for her reputation. So, as a friend and _also_ your business partner, I respectfully ask you to back off!"

Meanwhile, Diana, who was talking to some of the guests, turned to see Clark and Bruce talking. Bruce looked calm as always, but Clark was trying his hardest not to lose his temper.

"Hey Di!" She heard someone call her name. Turning around, Diana gave John and Hal a big smile before reaching out to hug them both.

"How you doin', Di?" John asked as he stepped away and smiled at her. She was absolutely glowing. He had known this girl since he was thirteen and she had never looked like this before… literally glowing.

"I'm good, John. You guys didn't have any trouble getting here, did you?" When Diana saw that Hal was looking at Donna, who was winking at him, she rolled her eyes and asked, "Jordan? Would you kindly spare us some of your valuable time?"

John punched Hal on his shoulder and made him yelp. "Easy, bro!" Hal groaned. "And what were you saying, Di?"

"She was asking if we had trouble getting here, you doofus!" John answered. "And yes, we _did_ have trouble. Because my car broke down and is currently being repaired, so I asked this idiot to give me a ride, but guess what he does instead?"

"Hey! She was hot. I couldn't say no!" Hal shrugged and turned away. He looked around before his eyes caught sight of one Bruce Wayne. "Looks like Brucey is here. Who's he talking to?"

Clark had just come into view and Hal raised a single brow. He looked at John, who looked just as confused. "Diana, what's going on?"

"Long story short, Kara is dating Bruce. Kal doesn't like that. I told him not to confront Bruce about that, but does he listen?"

Seeing Diana sigh loudly, John said, "I can go talk to Clark. This isn't the right place for such talks. And why the hell is Kara dating Wayne? Aren't there any nice, younger guys around? Hey Hal, let's talk to Clark. Hal? HAL?!"

Hal was no longer listening to his friend. He had made his way towards Clark and Bruce, and interrupted their heated conversation. Hal had no idea what Clark had said to Bruce, but the man looked upset. He simply nodded at Clark and walked away. Hal grabbed Clark's arm and pulled him back to where Diana and John were standing.

Diana reached out to Clark and gave him a hug. Pulling away, she asked, "Are you alright, love?"

Clark sighed and nodded. "I am."

"What were you talking to Bruce about?" John asked curiously.

"Kara. And I did what I had to do. You don't get to tell me otherwise. This is my sister."

Hal ran his hand through his hair and asked, "If Donna ever dated someone with an age difference, will you protest?"

Diana and John looked up in surprise. _Where was Hal going with this?_ Clark simply shrugged. "Donna would probably kick his ass if he screwed up, my Kara isn't like that."

Hal gulped and turned away. But when his eyes fell on Donna, he muttered, "You know I was never the one to back away from a good challenge." Smirking, he gave his friends a mock salute. "See ya, amigos!"

* * *

Bruce kept away his unfinished glass of champagne and made his way towards Kara, who was still talking to the reporter. He moved closer and placed his hand on the small of her back. Kara looked up with a smile.

"Can I have a word?" he asked, leaning closer.

"Sure! Excuse me," Kara said to the reporter and walked away with Bruce, who was leading her towards a balcony. "Is everything alright?"

Bruce nodded before touching her arm. "Kara, I know we really didn't get a lot of time to spend with each other. And I really liked what we had. But sometimes I feel you are too good for me."

Kara couldn't help but chuckle. "Me? Too good for you?"

"Yes. You don't know me, Kara. I am… different. I have needs to be met. And I gather you were just out of a relationship. You are not ready for this. Not ready for _us_. I'm just trying to be the voice of the reason, Kara. I'm not doing this to hurt you."

"So you are basically breaking up with me?" she asked in a low voice.

"It's for the best. Maybe if I'd been younger…" Bruce let out a loud sigh. "Maybe things would have been different then."

Kara was quiet for a while. Suddenly things started making sense. Bruce was joking. And it was Mike who had put him up to this. _It had to be him!_ Kara burst out laughing and she leaned against Bruce's chest. She wondered if she was with Mike and _he_ was 'pretending' to be breaking up with her, what would she have done? Kissed him, for sure.

"Why are you laughing?" Bruce asked, grabbing her arms and gently pulling her away from him. "This isn't a joke, Kara. I am breaking up with you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoa! Finally! The much-awaited break up! XD Y'all wanted Bruce gone... well, I listened. I enjoyed writing Clark a lot. Especially when he confronted Bruce. Did anyone else find it creepy the way Mike spoke about the masterpiece? :)

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter - 30**

Mike had been looking for Cat for a while now, but when he couldn't find her, he made his way towards Donna. He saw her talking to some tall dude. Donna was busy flirting with this man, and Mike wondered if he had seen this guy somewhere.

"Hey Donna," he called, walking towards her. "Have you seen Cat anywhere?"

Donna looked at him and shrugged. "I only saw her when you guys arrived together. Have you looked upstairs?"

"There's an upstairs?" Mike asked, looking around quickly to see if he could find the staircase.

"Yes, silly. There's a second floor. Come along, I'll show you. But wait, you have met Hal Jordan before, right?"

Hal nodded, holding his hand out for Mike to shake. "The Superdude who punched Barry Allen! How can I forget?"

Seeing Hal's grin, Mike's eyes widened. _Of course, Clark's best friend!_ "Hey there, nice to see you again." Mike shook hands with Hal and then turned to Donna. "So, shall we?"

Donna told Hal that she would be back soon. She then led the way upstairs and Mike followed her quietly. Just as they climbed the stairs, Donna stopped short and turned to face Mike. She grabbed his chin and turned his face to the right first and then to the left.

"Hey! You don't look so bad," she blurted.

"Ouch!" Mike placed his hand over his chest and said, "You hurt my ego, woman!"

"Ha-ha! What do you usually get, Matthews?"

Mike shrugged. "Oh, the usual. That I'm insanely smokin' hot. And so darn good-looking that Greek Gods fall short… you know."

Donna grinned. "I want to paint you."

"Rose, are you gonna draw me like one of your French boys?" Mike smirked.

"Oh, Jack, you would be the masterpiece, trust me!"

Mike laughed. "I don't know, Donna. I'm not exactly the type to sit quietly…"

"It won't take too long, I promise. And you can watch TV while I paint you. I've another exhibit coming up in few months, and I would like to paint a fresh face."

Mike scratched his chin. "I… Okay, fine. Star Wars needs to play all the time I'm posing. Because I'll react to Baywatch. AND you are buying me a drink and we are going to Karaoke next week."

"Yay! You're the best!" Donna grinned and threw her arms around his shoulders. Mike laughed and patted her back. Pulling away, they made their way upstairs. There were lots of doors and most of them were open. Mike walked towards the last door when he heard a noise coming from inside.

He opened the door and his jaw dropped. Cat was lying on top of a desk and some random dude was over her.

Donna walked in and let out a gasp. "Oh shit, this is scandalous!"

Cat got up and pushed the guy away. "Mike, baby, I can explain."

Mike smiled and shook his head. "Continue, children. Just make sure you use protection." Saying that, he turned around and walked away.

Cat hurriedly put on her skirt and ran after him. "Mike, wait!"

Mike turned around and mouthed, _'It's over.'_ With that, he winked at her and walked downstairs with Donna. Once reaching downstairs, Donna saw him sighing. Touching his shoulder, she asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah! It was no big deal. It wasn't as if we were dating. Anyway, I think I should be going. This was amazing, Donna. You are really talented!"

"I can show you my _real_ talent when I finish your painting!" Donna grinned proudly.

"Well, just let me know when and where…" Mike smiled and walked backwards a little before waving and turning around. "Arrivederci!"

Donna waved back. "Au revoir!"

Mike went to say goodbye to Winn. Since he had come here with Cat in her car, he had to get a taxi back home.

* * *

Just as Mike stepped out in the cold, he winced. He wore a suit minus the tie for the event. He regretted not bringing along his motorcycle jacket. Just as he walked down the stairs, he saw someone sitting in the last step, sobbing lightly.

"Excuse me," Mike called, running down the steps quickly. There's wasn't much light here and he couldn't really see who it was. When he saw long, blonde locks, he asked, "Miss, you okay?"

When the girl looked up, Mike took a step back. It was Kara and it looked like she was crying. "Kara?" Mike moved closer and knelt down in front of her, touching her cheek, he asked, "What the hell are you doing out here in the cold?"

She simply shook her head and wiped off the tears from her cheek. "Go away!" She pushed his arm away.

"Blondie, talk to me, please!"

"No!" Kara looked at him and pouted. "You'll laugh!"

"I promise I won't. Now, tell me."

"Bruce broke up with me," she said in a low voice.

"What?" Mike moved away and kneaded his temple. It was all his fault. If he hadn't dared her to ask Bruce out in the first place, she wouldn't be sitting here crying. Mike stood up and held his hand out for her. "Come on!"

"Where?"

"I saw a bar earlier, when I came here. You need a drink right now. Even _I_ need a drink. It's so darn cold!"

"You should go. I don't want a drink." Kara pulled her jacket closer realizing it was really getting cold.

"Blondie, seriously! What did you do right after you broke up with Barry? You got drunk and you flirted non-stop with 'Kai Parker'." Kara cracked a smile when she saw him make air quotes while referring to himself. "Now get up, Blondie. Let me buy you a drink."

Kara sighed and gave in. She slipped her hand in his and stood up. They walked to the bar Mike had seen earlier. It wasn't modern or posh as 'One Block East', but it was warm and served beer, that's all they needed. Mike and Kara sat down in one of the back booths.

Mike ordered beer for them both and smiled when he saw her sigh again. "What's on your mind, Blondie?" he asked, popping a peanut into his mouth. He grabbed a pretzel and sat chewing on it.

"I thought everything was going great with Bruce. But I was wrong."

"Okay, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but you kissed me twice despite being with Bruce. How were things going great?"

Kara frowned. "Oh, sure! Blame it all on me! As if you weren't cheating on Cat."

"Well… not really. Since we were _not_ together in the first place. It was a casual thing."

"Sure, Mike. Whatever makes you sleep at night." Kara rolled her eyes at him. When their drinks arrived, Kara started chugging the beer. By the time she was done, she was giggling. "What… just happened?"

"You went crazy over that beer as if it's the liquid form of one Mike Colt Matthews!"

Kara giggled again. "Your middle name is _Colt_?"

"Yeah. Why?" Mike finished his beer and ordered two more drinks.

"I don't know. It's… kinda cute!"

Mike shook his head and smiled. Another drink later, Kara announced she was floaty. "Hey Mike! Am I floooating?" she asked.

"Nope. You are still sitting… I guess!"

"I'm bored!" She pouted. "Let's play a game!"

"No more truth and dares, Blondie!"

"Fine! Let's play a game of confession?"

Mike shook his head. "Ha! You wish. I have nothing to confess anyway."

"Come on, Mike! Be a sport! Let me start… It will be fun, I promise." Kara gave him a big smile as he sat there popping more peanuts in his mouth. He finally gave in and nodded. Kara clapped her hands and started, "Okay, so when I was fifteen, I read Clark's love letter to his girlfriend. And I used to think; my brother would probably… run away with her and move to Canada."

"Why Canada?" Mike asked curiously.

"Because… maple syrup? And…" Kara scratched her head. "People say sorry, you know."

"That's the worst confession ever!" Mike laughed before ordering himself a glass of rum and coke. "Okay, my turn? Ricky and I once stole equipment… from the… umm… his boss and went diving at night."

"Night?!" Kara's eyes widened. "Was it scary?"

"Not really. It was… umm… thrilling! Anyway, your turn."

Kara placed a finger under her chin and thought of something. Smiling, she said, "I was nine when my kitten climbed the tree in my backyard and couldn't climb back down. And I was too scared to climb that tree, since I fell down the same tree when I was seven… and Barry helped me clean up the wound. I fell in love with him then. Anyway… my kitty! She wasn't ready to come down and suddenly this tall boy comes out of nowhere… like _whoosh_! And climbs the tree and rescues my kitty! _My hero!_ But he slipped and cut his arm pretty bad. I could never thank him, and I had a huge crush on him."

Mike was quiet for a couple of minutes. He then stood up and removed his coat. When he started unbuttoning his white shirt, Kara's eyes widened. That's when she realized he wore a suit! It was a simple black suit with a white button-down shirt, nothing fancy like Bruce's Armani; but this was Mike, simple and uncomplicated.

"Mike, I know you are… hawt and you are suuuuper proud of it, but please… stop undressing!"

Smirking, he pulled one arm out of the sleeve and showed her a scar near his elbow. "You can thank me now, Blondie."

Kara looked at him in surprise. She leaned forward and touched the scar. "But how?"

"It did bleed a lot. And I never got a chance to thank you for your—"

She cut him off. "Disney Princess bandage." Kara grinned. "It was _you_?"

"I can't believe you had a crush on some random kid you met for like ten minutes… And yes, I was visiting aunt Nora for a day. Had some work to do…"

Kara couldn't help but smile. She had a crush on Mike for so long without even knowing his name. "Your turn!" she said.

"I have nothing else to confess!"

"Okay, how about I ask you something and you reply very truthfully." Seeing Mike shrug, Kara continued, "How many girls?"

He did seem confused by her question, and then he scratched his chin and replied, "Umm…. I guess, quite a few. I lost count."

Kara's jaw dropped. "You have had soooo many realtionships?"

Mike scrunched his face. "What? NO! I'm not talking about relationship, Blondie. Just casual stuff."

"Not even one?" she asked curiously. Of course she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from him.

Mike could see that Kara was curious and she wanted answers, but he was not the kind of guy who was comfortable talking about his past. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Come on. Please!"

Mike shook his head and stood up, pulling on his coat. "Get up, Blondie. We need to get going."

Kara pouted but listened to him. Once he paid for their drinks, they walked out, or at least tried to walk straight, they were both swaying. Kara grabbed Mike's arm and leaned against him as they made their way out of the bar.

"I feel like singing," Mike confessed. "But I'll probably… sound like a bag of drowning cats… so I shouldn't!"

"I miss singing! Barry and I used to have a Karaoke night every month." Kara pouted and looked down. "I miss Bar…"

"Hey! Cheer up, Blondie! I'll sing with you! You and I can be partners. I mean… singing partners."

Kara looked up with a small smile. "Really? You'll do that for me?"

"Sure! What are friends for? Come here." Mike opened his arms out wide and Kara moved closer. He wrapped his arms around her as she rested her head against his shoulder. "Hey, I know you miss Barry, but you have Winn and Donna… and now me."

"But you will leave me…"

Mike smiled as placed a soft kiss on her head. "If I can help it, I'll always be close." He pulled away and patted her head. "What are friends for?"

"To get drunk with and forget all our worries?"

Mike nodded and looked up. Right in front of them was a tattoo parlor. "Hey, some friends get tattoos too. Silly, right?"

Kara turned around to see where he was looking. She grinned and grabbed his hand. "Well, never too silly!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay. First Kara and Bruce, now Mike and Cat. I know MANY of you were expecting this, right? Now we move onto KarMike! Those tattoos can't be good! XD

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter - 31**

"Blondie, this isn't a good idea!" Mike called after Kara, who simply dragged him into the tattoo parlor.

She grinned at him, and when a man came into view, she asked, "Excuse me, Sir, do you do tattooing?"

The man threw his hand towel over his shoulder and nodded. "Sure do, Miss. What do you want to get done?"

Kara gently pushed Mike ahead and said, "Him first!"

"NO!" Mike yelled. "I didn't sign up for this, Blondie. Don't you dare!"

"You scared?" she asked with a big grin.

Mike frowned. "I know what you are doing. You will blame it on me and won't get one done. Fine, Blondie. I'm getting a tattoo and the joke's on you! Ha!"

Kara's smile fell. Of course she hadn't been serious about a tattoo. But now it was personal; Mike was going to do it.

Mike removed his coat and threw it at Kara. He then sat down and said, "Minimalist wave on the left wrist, about yea big." Mike showed the artist exactly how big (or small, since it was) he wanted. "Something I can cover with my wrist watch."

The artist nodded and drew a small wave on the paper. "How's this?" he asked Mike. Kara had been watching them keenly, she suddenly put herself in the middle and answered, "This is so cute! I want one."

"Matching tattoos," Mike muttered under his breath.

The artist got to work. Mike winced slightly, and that made Kara giggle. "Oh, poor baby," she cooed as she patted his cheek.

"Ugh! Go away!" Mike moved his head. Kara went and took a seat in the corner, still grinning at Mike.

Once the tattoo was complete, the artist put a clear bandage of sorts over it. "It's done. Take a seat, once I finish the young lady's, I'll tell you what to do."

Mike nodded and stood up. Kara got up and removed her jacket, handed both hers and Mike's to him, and she came to sit down. The artist then asked, "The same for you?"

"Yup." Kara gave him a weak smile. She knew it was going to hurt, so she ended up looking at Mike, who seemed quiet for a bit, looking at his new ink. When he looked up, he stuck his tongue out.

"Don't, Mike!" Kara warned him. But that didn't stop him. Mike ended up making all sorts of funny faces and Kara couldn't help but chuckle as the artist made the tattoo. He even asked her to sit still twice and she pouted at him.

It did hurt, but Mike's goofiness helped a lot. So when the artist was done, he asked, "Anything else?" But Kara wasn't paying attention to him though, Mike was making a goofy face and she yelled, "MIKE!"

The artist nodded and asked, "You want it in cursive?"

Kara looked at him, confused. "What? Cursive? Yeah, Cursive is cool."

The man nodded and started tattooing again, and Kara was back to yelling at Mike who was pretending to be a Mime.

"MIKE, STOP BEING A JERK!" Kara yelled just as the artist finished the tattoo and put the bandage over it.

He then looked at Mike first and then Kara and said, "Okay, guys, remove this bandage after 2 to 4 hours. Then wash the tattoo with lukewarm water and mild soap, okay? Don't scrub on it. Allow it to air dry completely and then apply some ointment. You might have to moisturize it couple of times a day."

Mike scratched his head. No one had told him that a tattoo needed to be taken care of like a baby. "How much do I owe you?" he asked the man.

"20 bucks for your tattoo. 60 for the girl's."

Mike's eyes widened. "Why 60 for her? We got the same thing." Turning around to face Kara, he asked, "Didn't we?"

Kara simply shrugged. So Mike walked towards her and grabbed her arm, his mouth fell open when he saw what was really tattooed on her wrist. "Shit, Blondie. You are gonna murder me!" he said under his breath.

"What? No, I won't. I like you, why would I murder you, silly?" Kara grinned at him.

Mike knew that she was still 'floaty' so he had a good chance to get away without her noticing she got _his_ name tattooed on the wrist. He turned around and hurriedly paid the artist.

"Any problem, man? If you want a tattoo removal, I do that too."

"No. That's okay. She's fine." Mike gave him a tight smile and grabbed Kara's arm and pulled her along with him gently.

"Hey Mike! Carry me!" she moaned.

"Blondie, come on. We are both drunk." Mike protested. But when he saw her pout, he sighed and bent down and asked her to jump on. Kara did what he said but with her dress she ended up slipping, taking him down with her. They fell on the street and lay on their backs quietly. Kara turned to see Mike, he did the same and they burst out laughing.

They had no idea how long they laid on the street talking and laughing about stuff, but when Mike got up and pulled her up, Kara groaned. She leaned against him as they headed back to the exhibit.

"Kara? Is that you?" They heard someone call. Mike narrowed his eyes to see Winn running towards them. When he saw Kara, he pulled her into a hug.

* * *

"Kare bear, where the hell were you?" Winn asked in concern. "And Mike, were you with her?"

"Sorry, man… we kinda… lost track of time," Mike explained, scratching his head.

Kara was still hugging Winn and he realized that she was beginning to doze off in his arms. Sighing, he said, "Everyone left. I tried searching for Kara but when I couldn't find her, I decided to wait. Come on, I'll take you both home."

"Thanks, buddy!" Mike said as Winn lead the way to his car. He grabbed both Kara and Mike, who threw their arms around Winn's shoulder, talking about drinks, confessions and tattoos. Nothing made sense to Winn, but he knew he would be finding out the next morning.

* * *

The next morning came with a not so pleasant reminder to one Kara Kent of the late night shenanigans she had with Mike. She had a bad hangover. And if that didn't worsen it, the name on her wrist certainly did.

 _Mike! She was going to kill him!_ And that's when she realized _she_ was the one who made him get a tattoo and got one along with him. Kara groaned and buried her face in the pillow.

She had crashed at Winn's place so when he made her some greasy breakfast, she hugged him and sobbed in his shoulder, thanking him for always being there for her.

Winn drove her to work, but he had to go to his office quickly so she had to say bye to him at the reception. She had a pair of shades on instead of her usual glasses and when she spotted Mike, she hid her face and tried to walk past him.

Mike simply chuckled when he saw her. He threw his arm over her shoulder and shouted in her ear. "HIYA, BLONDIE! DID YOU MISS ME?"

Kara pushed him away and started hitting his chest. He caught her arms and pulled her closer, his arms sliding over her waist. She was trapped and he looked as if he was going to kiss her.

But he didn't.

"Nice tat you got there, Blondie! You sure love this 'Mike' dude! Oooh! What would Barry say?"

"Mike, you are the evilest guy I've _ever_ known!" Kara frowned. "Now let me go, I need to get to work."

"Hold on." He stepped away and ran towards the reception desk. Grabbing a small box, he ran back to her. Grinning, he handed it over to her. "I got you cupcakes!"

Kara was taken aback. _He got her cupcakes? That was so sweet._ Smiling lightly, she took it from him. Opening the box, she saw 6 cupcakes with yellow frosting over them.

"You didn't have to, you know," she said quietly.

"Yeah, but I wanted to. I had a great time last night." Suddenly he was smirking. "And come on, I just found out that you have had a crush on some kid for soooo long, and I'm that kid! Well… not a kid anymore, but you get it. Come on, it feels awesome!"

Kara took off her glasses and said, "Get off that high horse, Michael. You'll just end up falling and breaking bones."

She was about to walk away when he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer once again. "Comets," he whispered, looking into her eyes. Suddenly, he snapped out of it and walked away with a small wave.

Kara headed straight to her floor and went to her desk. Even though Winn had made her such a delicious breakfast, she was dying to eat some of Mike's cupcakes. They looked really good. She smiled at his thoughtfulness and took one out and took a big bite. Kara chewed on it and made a face; she spit it out and coughed.

Brax turned around to look. "Hey Kara, you okay?" Seeing how she had scrunched up her face, he got up and gave her a bottle of water. Kara drank the water and thanked him. Brax took the half eaten cupcake and smelled it. "This is mustard, Kara. Not frosting."

Kara's fists clutched tightly. Mike was so gonna pay for this. She stood up and told Brax that she was going out. Clearing the cupcake from her desk, she grabbed the box and went to dispose it.

Kara then headed straight to the nearest coffee shop and bought 6 powdered donuts. Her next stop was a departmental store.

When she returned, she called Winn to the break room to help her out with something. Her best friend was confused when she asked him to hold out a donut for her as she filled a clean syringe with something white.

"What's that?" Winn asked.

"Something a certain devil has to eat," Kara replied without giving much away. When she was done filling all six donuts with the white stuff, she thanked Winn and headed back to her office. Mike was surprisingly at his desk, drawing what looked like a cap on his _'Barry'_ , that silly coffee pouch he carried around everywhere; maybe she had to hide that.

Mike looked up when she approached him. It was almost lunchtime and most of their colleagues were leaving.

"Working during lunch?" Kara asked Mike, who simply shrugged and continued to draw the cap on the coffee pouch. "Hey, I never got to thank you."

"For what, Blondie?" Mike asked, sounding bored.

"I wasn't drunk when Bruce dumped me, Mike." His eyes softened hearing that, so she continued, "You left the exhibit to spend time with me. To make me feel better. You didn't have to, but you still did. I just want to thank you."

He smiled seeing her innocent puppy dog eyes. "What is it?"

Kara smiled back as she placed the box of donuts in front of him. "They are powdered donuts. Didn't know what you really liked so…"

"Thanks, Kara. That's kind of you."

Kara blushed and turned away quickly. Her heart raced every time he called her 'Kara'. Usually it was when he was mad at her or just being serious. But today it was different.

When Kara walked away, Mike smiled and grabbed a donut. He took a bite as he read an important email he had been expecting for a while. He was one step closer to finding what he came to Seattle for. Mike munched on the donut; it tasted weird, but he was hungry. He had skipped breakfast after all.

Two and a half donuts later, he felt his stomach churn. Mike drank some water and smelled the white cream on the donut and that's when he realized it was not cream.

"F*ck, Blondie!" Mike cursed. She had just given him donuts filled with mayo and he ate them like an idiot.

Covering his mouth, he got up and ran to the restroom. Well, that saying did turn out to be true. Payback was indeed a bitch. Mike Matthews knew that all too well now.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm shocked Mike didn't see that coming! XD And yay! They are both single again! And matching tattoos! What will Barry say?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter - 32**

Mike Matthews had always been proud of his immune system; he rarely fell ill, since childhood. So puking his guts out was something he hadn't thought would happen. Ever. He could also hold his alcohol well.

And yes, this was so _not_ planned.

Once he was done, Mike pulled himself up and made his way out. His eyes were red and the reflection only reminded him of the guy he had hidden away from the whole world, except from one person – Eric. Hell's Mike looked back him, asking him to pull himself up.

Mike didn't know why he felt so weak, as he dragged his heavy body out, he ran into someone, collapsing into that person's arms. Mike's heavy-lidded eyes closed and he was drifting back to the past.

* * *

 _Hell's very own Mike Matthews sat on the couch, finishing a whole bag of chips as he watched Scooby-Doo playing on the TV._

 _These were simple pleasures. A nice TV, some snacks and of course, the silly, detective dog he loved watching since he was four._

 _When he heard the front door open, Mike looked up and saw Caleb Hastings walk in. Only Caleb's reaction to seeing him was what he hadn't expected._

 _"Not even a hello? Damn!" Mike asked, faking hurt. "Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"_

 _Caleb gasped, he had frozen on spot after seeing Mike on his couch. Well, why should he be? Mike was in his home, watching his TV, eating his chips... but right now, putting the bag aside and standing up. Dusting the crumbs off his jacket, Mike walked towards the scared teen, who looked absolutely petrified._

 _Grabbing Caleb by his collar, Mike flung him towards the couch. Caleb fell awkwardly and raised his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"_

 _Mike pulled up a chair in front of him and sat down. Quickly pulling out a knife from his pocket, he held it in front of Caleb._

 _"Let's talk business, asshole!" Mike started. "You have inappropriate pictures of one Harley Moore in your phone, PC and also physical copies that you waved around for a whole week without me knowing. But now that I know, you either hand it over to me nicely and delete all the pictures OR ELSE I'll use my knife and cut you into tiny, tiny pieces and feed you to stray dogs. The choice is yours." Raising his arm to look at the time on the wristwatch, Mike continued, "You have three seconds, Caleb. Three, two, one! RUN!"_

 _Caleb fell off the couch before pulling himself up and running upstairs. Mike followed him quietly, grabbing a bar of chocolate on his way up._

 _"I'm sorry," Caleb cried. "I didn't want to do this! I liked her but she insulted me in front of all her friends!"_

 _Mike rolled his eyes at him. "So you got her naked and clicked a bunch of pictures? Pathetic!"_

 _Caleb was sobbing as he deleted all the pictures. Knowing computers was an advantage as Mike shoved the pathetic rat away and took care of locating the pictures in multiple folders and deleting them all. Next he turned around and held his hand out for Caleb's phone and the physical copies of the pictures._

 _Caleb quickly deleted the pictures from the phone but that didn't satisfy Mike. He grabbed that while he pocketed the pictures and walked out of the room. Heading downstairs, Mike shouted, "Don't you dare show me your rat face again, Caleb, or else I'll END you! And while you are at it, learn to respect women, you pathetic asshole!"_

 _Caleb did follow him out. He stood by the door to see Mike dropping his phone on the road. Caleb gasped. Maybe this was his chance to pick it up. But before he could do it, Mike had very conveniently run his motorcycle over the phone, crushing it into pieces. Caleb fell on his knees and started to cry. Hell's Mike had found out his secret, his reputation was ruined for good!_

 _Mike headed back to college, which he rarely attended. Knowing secrets of some teachers and helping the older ones always managed to keep him out of trouble._

 _As he walked down the hallway, he watched a lot of guys turn away, not willing to meet his eyes. Some dared to say hi to him. Mike narrowed his eyes at them. "Do I even know you morons?"_

 _Not waiting for their answer, he walked straight to the library and saw Mrs. Peterson sigh loudly._

 _"Don't worry, Cathy, I'm just here to return something to my friend. Come on now, go back to being your boring old self by ignoring those two horny brats making out in the back. Oh, they are right near the Shakespearean section. Can't you see?"_

 _"Don't lie, Mike!" Mrs. Peterson frowned, walking towards him. But when she was what he was pointing at, she gasped and stalked off to catch the students in act._

 _"Hey Cathy!" Mike called after her. "Time to check the power of your glasses!" Smirking, he walked towards the seating area and saw Harley Moore hiding her face with couple of books in front of her._

 _Mike cleared his throat, making her look up. Harley frowned at him. "What do you want?" she asked rudely._

 _Mike knew that if people weren't scared of him, they simply hated him. Rolling his eyes at her, he grabbed the pictures from his jacket pocket and threw them on the desk._

 _Harley's eyes widened as she picked them up and hid them away._

 _"That loser Hastings won't trouble you anymore. If he does, find me. But he won't." Saying that, he walked away._

 _Harley looked dumbstruck. Mike actually went after Caleb and got the pictures for her?! She ran after him and said, "Mike, wait! I'm sorry but what if he has more of these?"_

 _"Deleted them from his computer and phone. Don't worry about him taking anymore because I crushed his phone."_

 _When Mike saw Harley's eyes widen, he shrugged. "What else were you expecting me to do? Ask him nicely? And burn those pictures down. You don't need an ugly reminder."_

 _"Th–thank you! I don't know how to thank you enough!"_

 _"Just stay out of trouble, Moore! And don't let anyone use you the way Hastings did. He's an asshole, and you deserve better!"_

 _Harley gave him a grateful smile, which he returned with a smirk. Mike then headed towards Mrs. Peterson's desk to tease her about students procreating under her watch._

 _"GET OUT OF HERE, MATTHEWS, BEFORE I KICK YOU OUT!"_

 _Mike winked at her and said, "Love you too, Cathy! See ya soon!"_

* * *

Mike opened his eyes to a bright light hitting his face. He turned to his right to see Winn sitting next to him. Mike realized he was lying on a hospital bed with an IV in his arm.

"Hey," Winn called. "Don't get up. The doctor said it was food poisoning and dehydration. Did you know you had a fever, Mike?"

Mike got up, grabbed the IV and pulled it off his arm. He placed his hand over the blood that crept out. "I don't need a damn doctor, Winn. I'm fine. I just wanna go home."

Saying that, he got out of the bed and went to talk to the doctor about the discharge formalities. Despite Winn's protests, all Mike did was sign the papers, got the blood cleaned from his hand and left the hospital.

"Mike, wait!" Winn called after him. "Man, I found you outside the restroom. You collapsed on me! You aren't well. Why can't you just rest?"

"Winn, thanks for bringing me here, but I hate hospitals. I'm just gonna go back home. And I'm alright, I swear!"

Winn looked at him in disapproval. He knew how that food poisoning happened. What would happen if Mike found out what Kara put in his donuts wasn't cream? But he couldn't out his friend. So he pretended Mike ate something bad and fell ill.

Mike was already heading towards the exit, but Winn stopped him and told him he would take him home. Mike didn't protest this time. He gave Winn the directions and sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window.

"Will you be alright, buddy?" Winn asked in concern. "Should I drop you off at Cat's place?"

"Cat? Why?"

"Well… she's your girlfriend, and I'm sure she will take care of you, man. If you don't want, you can always stay the night at my place. I will ask Donna to move out of the guest bedroom."

Mike shook his head. "Cat was never my girlfriend, dude. And whatever we had, I ended it last night. Thanks, but I'd rather go home."

Winn nodded without a word and took Mike to the address he gave. Dropping him off, he asked if Mike wanted him to help him up to the apartment. But Mike politely refused and thanked him for the lift. He headed upstairs and pulled out the keys from his pocket. His fingers almost missed the lock and he ended up banging the door furiously. When he finally opened the door, Mike walked in and closed it with a bang.

Getting out of his clothes, he crashed onto the bed in his boxers. Closing his eyes, he thought of that one person who would care for him more than his own parents ever did. The friend he wanted near him badly. _Ricky_ , Mike sighed and opened his eyes to see text notifications flashing on his phone.

The doorbell rang just as Eric's message popped up asking him if he was okay. _That psychic knew everything!_ Mike groaned and pulled himself up.

He went to get the door. Opening, he saw Kara standing there, holding something in her hands. He leaned against the door and asked, "What do you want, Blondie?"

Kara didn't reply since she was busy checking him out. When he cleared his throat, she looked up sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. I just… umm… I brought you some chicken noodle soup."

"It's not necessary."

Kara was no longer listening to him; walking past him, she entered his apartment. Her eyes widened when she noticed how small it was and what exactly was in there. There was a mattress on the floor with ruffled sheets. A beanbag next to it. On her left was a small kitchen and a small counter with two bar stools. And right behind the door that Mike stood next to was another one. _The bathroom_ , Kara guessed.

"Where's the rest of the furniture?" she asked in surprise.

"Well, this is all I have." Mike shrugged and closed the door. "Make yourself comfortable. Oh, don't sit on the beanbag. I don't like sharing it with anyone else's butt."

Kara bit her lower lip, trying not to laugh. She walked into the kitchen to heat the soup and bring it out for him in a bowl. Winn had called her from the hospital and when he texted her that he was taking Mike home, Kara had asked Sofia to make some soup for her.

Mike didn't complain when she gave him the bowl. He sat on the beanbag as Kara took a seat on the mattress. He drank the soup without lifting his head up. When he finished it, Kara took the empty bowl from him and fetched him a glass of water.

She couldn't take her eyes off him. She had seen him without clothes before, but now he just looked vulnerable. And all she wanted to do was hold him in her arms. She plopped on the mattress and gestured for Mike to join her.

"What, Blondie?" he asked in surprise.

"Why don't you lay down for a while? You need to rest."

Mike rolled his eyes at her. "You ain't my mother. Stop mom-ing me!"

Kara gave him a beautiful smile. "Fine. I won't tell you anything. I'll listen. So tell me what you want."

A small smile appeared on his face as he sat on the mattress and laid his head on her lap. Kara gasped lightly, but when he looked up with his puppy dog eyes, she said, "It's okay. You can lie here as long as you want."

With that she bent down and kissed his head.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hell's Mike! Now you know his secret! What do you think 'Hell' is? And hey, their Karamel is showing!

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter - 33**

Kara ran her fingers through his smooth dark brown hair. Mike was awfully quiet. He only looked up when his phone buzzed again. It was a voicemail from Eric asking him if he was okay. Mike quickly texted him back to tell him that he was down with a fever, he didn't mention anything about the hospital because Eric would tell his mother, and Nancy would want to take the first flight out to Seattle.

"Your friend cares a lot," Kara said softly.

"He's a brother," Mike said, shifting on her lap, looking up at her. When she bent down a little, a single strand slipped in front of her face, Mike slipped it behind her ear and saw her redden. "Sometimes you don't need to be related by blood to have a brotherly bond."

"You must miss him a lot then."

"Ha! Wish I was there with him now. He's probably diving at night and having all the fun."

"Diving?" Kara asked curiously. Since Mike was opening up, she decided to ask as many questions as she wanted.

"Ricky's an underwater diving instructor. His family owns a water sports business, he helps out there too." Mike suddenly smiled remembering something. "I had a part-time job there when I was in college. Ricky and I used to take the diving gear and sneak out at night."

Kara smiled and caressed his hair once more. "Tell me more. Were your parents okay when you did that?"

Mike suddenly stiffened; he turned away and said, "I don't feel comfortable talking about them, Blondie."

"I understand," she said. "There are some things we just don't wanna share, right? I don't talk about my parents either."

"Why is that?"

"They were absent most of my childhood. And I don't blame them." Letting out a sigh, she continued, "Dad was always busy with work. Mom used to help out with him. Then came The Daily Planet… and here I was thinking she's just a shareholder. She turns out to be the vice president."

"What about Clark?" Mike asked, looking at her again.

"What _about_ Clark?" Kara smiled. "He was always there for me. He would read me bedtime stories. He came to all my plays. I was Cinderella once and the guy who played the prince… he broke his arm the last minute. So they just postponed the play. I was so sad that day, my parents had not come to see me and no one was going to see me be a princess. But Clark was there. He took me out and told me that a girl doesn't need a prince to be a princess… that I was already one. I guess sometimes all a girl needs is a friend and my brother had been that friend."

"Did that play ever happen?"

"Oh yes! They found me a prince alright." Kara's eyes watered a little. She cleared her throat before saying, "It was Barry. And my first kiss was on the stage in front of so many people."

"Of course it was Barry," Mike scoffed.

"Hey! He was a good prince and that was the day I realized he was my real prince… How silly was I, Mike?" Kara became quiet after that. She finally summed up the courage to ask, "Were you ever in love, Mike? Did you love her a lot?"

Kara touched his cheek softly and leaned down to see that he had fallen asleep. Smiling, she placed a soft kiss on the side of his head. She sat there, caressing his hair as he slept on her lap. She really wanted to know how serious he had been about that Georgie lady. If he still was, she would back off. Barry broke her heart once; she couldn't let his cousin do the same.

* * *

Mike woke up to the sound of his alarm. He grabbed his phone and turned it off. Suddenly he felt something warm against his back. His eyes widened when he saw a hand on his bare chest. Mike's mind was foggy. He turned around and lay on his back to see Kara sleeping next to him. Spooning him! All this seemed too… sudden. Lifting the sheet off her he saw that she was fully clothed. He let out a relieved sigh. At least they didn't end up sleeping together again. She would only call it a mistake. Moving her arm away, he got up and went to take a shower.

When Mike stepped out, drying his hair with a towel, he saw Kara sitting up, rubbing her eyes. That's when he realized she looked cute even after just waking up. If only she hadn't run the first time they were together. "Morning, sleepyhead!" Mike called loudly. Kara looked up and gave him a bright smile. "Would you like some coffee?"

She got up and started to look around for her jacket that she had taken off sometime last night. "No thanks, Mike. I'm good."

Seeing her stand up and looking at the bathroom door, Mike spoke, "Go in. I left a spare toothbrush for you. It's new so don't worry about it."

Smiling, she thanked him and went to freshen up. When she came out, she quickly put on her jacket and was looking around for her car keys.

"Hey! There's a diner a block away," Mike said, leaning against the counter and drinking his coffee. "Why don't we have some breakfast?"

Kara shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mike. I haven't been home in two days and my parents, as much as I don't want them to, will worry. Hope you are feeling better now. And I'm really really sorry for what I did."

"What did you do?" he asked with a hint of seriousness in his voice. When she saw Kara stiffen, Mike burst out laughing. "Seriously, I started it. How was the mustard cupcake by the way?"

Kara grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. Sticking her tongue out, she grabbed her stuff and walked out of his apartment. Smiling, Mike went to the window and pulled it open. He looked down to see Kara walking out and heading towards her car. Sighing, he went to get ready for work. He decided to get some coffee for Winn before he headed to work. Though his mind was clouded a bit, he did remember Winn helping him out. He was truly a great friend.

Kara had gone straight to her place, carefully hiding her new tattoo underneath her watch. Her parents didn't look surprised when they saw her. Then she found out from her mom that Donna had called and said Kara had crashed at Winn's place both the nights. Kara mentally thanked Donna.

She got ready and was on her way to work. She stopped by at the café near the office to get herself some tea. Kara ended up running into an old friend from school. It all went well till Stacy from Chemistry asked about Barry.

"So, when are we getting the good news?" Stacy asked.

"What good news?" Kara asked in confusion.

"Well, I think Mark has been talking to Barry and there was a mention of an engagement. Or did I get that wrong?"

Kara's jaw dropped. She adjusted her glasses and gave Stacy a fake smile. "Umm… you see, Barry and I are on a break right now. He no longer lives in Seattle."

That was news to Stacy. Kara excused herself by saying she had to get to work. Kara looked at Stacy one last time before getting into her car. Stacy was on the phone with Margaret. Kara let out a loud sigh; now all her ex-classmates were going to find out about her love life from the gossip queens Stacy and Margaret.

When Kara made her way into the office, she noticed Winn sitting next to Mike; he had pulled her chair. The boys were laughing about something.

"Hey guys!" she called. "Can I have my chair back?"

Winn greeted her and returned the chair. Turning around, he said to Mike, "We should totally give that a try. But first, you get back in shape! And drink lots of water." Waving to Mike and then Kara, Winn walked away.

"What was all that about?" Kara asked as she sat down and opened her phone when she saw a notification. It was a missed notification of Mike's latest Instagram post. Kara bit her lower lip and looked up to see Mike busy working on his computer.

She opened the app to see that he had posted a photo of her. It was from this morning when she had been talking to Stacy. The caption read, _'Saw something beautiful this morning then realized it's just Blondie. :P'_

Kara blushed and set her phone down. She was about to ask Mike about the picture, tease him about stalking her when she saw him get up. He was talking to someone on the phone, and he looked very serious. Kara decided to talk to him later, but that time never came.

Mike had returned twenty minutes later to grab his stuff and leave in a hurry. And Kara didn't see him after that.

* * *

Lunchtime came soon and she was eating with Winn when she got another notification. Mike had posted again. When Winn saw this, he raised a brow curiously.

"You have notifications turned on for when Mike posts? Wow! Aren't you serious about him!" Winn teased her.

Kara groaned and said, "There's nothing happening till Cat Grant walks this earth."

"Oh, you didn't know?" Winn asked, taking a bite of his pizza. "Mike said it's over. He broke it off with Cat. So… yeah, you still have a chance. That is, if you don't want to get back with Barry."

"Why are we even talking about Barry, Winn? He's out of the picture."

"Is he?" Winn shrugged. "Kare bear, you were calling out his name in your sleep."

"Well, I must be dreaming about something scary and Barry might just have been there!"

"Kara, you talk to him almost everyday now…"

"And your point?"

"Are you really over him? Are you trying to get Mike so you can make Barry jealous?"

Kara chuckled. "Winn, what are you even saying?"

Winn sighed. "Kara, Mike is a good guy. If you are only planning to use him to make Barry jealous, than please reconsider, Mike doesn't deserve to get hurt like this. He doesn't talk much about his past, but there's something going on with him. He's not in a good place. All those pranks and those inappropriate jokes… he uses those to cover up the real him."

"Look, I'm not using anyone, okay? And I don't really fell like talking about this anymore, Winny, I'm sorry."

Nodding, Winn let this go. Kara opened the Instagram app and scrolled down to see Mike's post. Her eyes widened when she saw what he had posted. She gulped and set the phone on the table. It was a picture of Mike and he was with that Georgie lady who was holding a small dog, and Mike was pointing at the camera. Maybe it was an old picture, but the caption read, _'Miss you, dear lady. :('_

Kara didn't know why it hurt so much. Just this morning he had been so caring. Offered to make her some coffee, to take her out for breakfast, took a picture of her and posted it, calling her beautiful. And now he was saying he missed his ex?

Winn was looking at the phone too. He could see that Kara was genuinely upset; she wouldn't have been if she wasn't serious about Mike.

Just as Kara sat looking at her phone, underneath Mike's caption, a comment popped up. It was written by _theladyhawthorne_ and it read, _'I'm just a call away, silly boy! :P'_

She closed the app and pushed her phone away. "Why does this always happen to me, Winn?" she asked quietly.

Winn couldn't reply. Because he had no idea why this had happened, so all he did was throw his arm around her and pull her closer. Things seemed messy, but they would probably figure it out together.

* * *

 **A/N:** Damn, the past is messy, isn't it? Do you think Mike will stop talking to his ex? Will Kara be okay with this?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N:** This one's for you, Ricky! :)

* * *

 **Chapter - 34**

A week went by quickly and Kara hadn't interacted with Mike much. She was still upset about the whole Georgie thing. Even more upset when Donna told her that Georgie meant something to Mike and he wouldn't just remove her from his life because Kara didn't like her.

"You don't even know her, Kara," Donna had said. "You don't know their story. So stop being grumpy about it!"

Donna's words did seem a bit harsh, but Winn knew that was the truth. Mike had a past. Just like Kara did. But Mike wasn't feeling insecure about _her past_ with Barry. If Kara ever wanted to be with Mike, she had to work on her jealousy issues.

Kara sighed as she sat working on a new case with Brax, since Mike wasn't telling her about what he was working on. She hadn't seen him all day. But just as Brax told her about talking to a witness, Kara saw Mike rush towards her desk.

He was carrying a bunch of papers. Moving towards her desk, he placed one over it. "These are names and numbers of some important people related to what I'm investigating. Please call them and see if anyone has a southern accent. Note down the name and number for me."

Kara looked at the paper and nodded before saying, "I'll do that, but first tell me what you are working on."

Mike let out a loud sigh. "Can't. Sorry."

"Fine." She pushed the paper away and sat back in her chair. "I'm not going to do this. Unless you tell me what you are working on and take me along with you."

Mike was quiet for a minute. Kara was sure she had lost him just then. Suddenly he snapped out of his daze and picked up the paper from her desk. "Cool. I'll do it myself." Saying that, he went back to his desk, stuffed the papers in his backpack, removed his tie and coat and stuffed them inside the backpack too. Pulling out his motorcycle jacket, he half-walked, half-ran towards the door. Kara sat looking at him leave in a hurry. _What was he up to now? Why didn't he just trust her?_

* * *

Mike Matthews had a fair share of dark and problematic histories. One of them was right in front of his eyes. He had managed to track down a warehouse of illegally imported artifacts sold for exorbitant prices. The items were shipped in at night and all the work was done only at night, so he knew he could go in and come out with proof in broad daylight and not be caught.

But was he wrong or what?

Mike parked his motorcycle behind a big bush and moved in the shadows. The warehouse was located near an old airfield. Very quietly, Mike managed to sneak into the warehouse. For anyone coming in here by accident, it looked like an old warehouse with lots of crates. But for a trained eye, it was obvious that all the crates were empty. Underneath them were trapdoors, keeping the artifacts safe. He moved towards one of the small crates in the dark corner. Lifting it, he saw the trapdoor. Mike pulled the small torchlight from his pocket, held it mouth and pulled two pins out. He quickly began to undo the lock. When it opened, Mike pulled the trapdoor open to see what looked like a bunch of blue hairpins. He scrunched his face as he slipped on a glove and took one. He had seen one on the Internet before. It was worth millions. But why were there so many pins? All looking similar?

That's when things started to fall into places. None of the artifacts were real! It was just like getting a famous painting printed for home. He pulled his phone out and took a picture of the pins and placed it inside again. Mike locked the trapdoor and stepped back, taking more pictures of the crates. He kept his phone inside and stepped out. Mike heard a voice coming from the corner, so he moved back a little. He froze when he felt a gun touch his back. Sighing, he raised his hands up and turned around. Mike's eyes widened when he realized who it was.

"Why, if it isn't Hell's Mike?!" The man cheered, putting his gun away.

"Wolfgang?"

Seeing the shock on Mike's face, the man, Wolfgang burst out laughing. "Your old man wouldn't be sneaking into places in broad daylight. What did he teach you, Mike? What did Hell teach you?"

"Hell taught me to stay alive."

"Really? What if I had shot you?" The man scratched his long beard and grinned. "Your daddy won't be proud!"

Mike suddenly launched himself at Wolfgang and grabbed him by his neck. "Don't you dare talk about my dad, you f*cking bastard! I know what you are doing here. You think you can get away by fooling people? I will end you!" Mike sneered.

Wolfgang chuckled. "Valor. Yes, Valor… what kind of stupid name is that? You know that chick that hangs out with you? She's hot! What if I take her? Kill her?"

Mike's grasp loosened and he stepped back. "Don't you dare, Wolfgang!"

"Oh, little boy. You have no idea what I'm capable of. Now let's just forget today happened. You run away and don't speak a word about what you saw, and I'll let your girlfriend live. GO!"

Mike glared at him as he walked backwards before turning around and running towards his bike. He put on his helmet and quickly started the bike. He drove as fast as he could, just as he turned the corner, he saw Wolfgang driving his jeep towards him. Mike panicked and titled his bike, avoiding collision, but just barely. It was a narrow escape, but his bike skid and it took him down with him, his body scratching over the road. The bike fell on his legs and he groaned in pain. Mike's shirt was torn; there were scratches on his jacket too. But the front had a lot of damage. His arm was bleeding lightly.

Mike lay on the road, the heavy bike on his legs. He could barely move and he turned his head to see Wolfgang stepping out of his car, holding a gun. Mike sighed. If he was going to die today, he wanted to hear Eric and Georgie's voice once before he went.

Ricky would fret, he knew that very well.

Mike lay still, watching Wolfgang approach him. He held his gun at him and smirked. "You know, I owed Max. By letting you live, we will be even." Saying that, Wolfgang pocketed his gun and grabbed the motorcycle, he lifted it off Mike's legs.

Mike had suddenly found his strength. Pushing Wolfgang away, he mounted his bike and drove away as fast as he could.

He kept driving till he reached the main road. He was losing control of the bike. He couldn't drive anymore. He noticed that he was approaching the Waterfront park. Mike drove there and parked his bike. He pulled out his phone to call Winn, but noticed that the screen had shattered. Mike groaned loudly and pulled out his wallet. There was enough cash to take him to the Daily Planet.

He walked towards the street and waited for a taxi. Mike held out his good arm. The other was still bleeding, but he just had to get himself some first-aid. When a taxi came to a stop, he got in and said, "Daily Planet."

The driver nodded and pulled the car into the road. Mike leaned against the seat, holding his injured arm. He had zipped his jacket so the torn shirt and bruises wouldn't be seen. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Such accidents only reminded him of his past. Of the man he called his brother.

Mike closed his eyes and drifted back to the day he met the guy who changed his life.

* * *

 _Hell was not a cold place, Mike knew that all too well. And today, he was burning in his personal hell. Exams. That's what was causing him so much grief._

 _He was reading a book when he saw Zeb walk in. In the gang, Zeb was the only one who ignored him as much as he could. This was also because Zeb used to be his father's best friend before they had a nasty argument and stopped talking._

 _"_ _What are you doing there?" Zeb asked, seeing the book in Mike's hand._

 _"_ _It's called studying, something you wouldn't know about, Zebby," Mike mocked him._

 _The older man glared at him. "Get your ass out off that couch, Matthews! We need to be somewhere."_

 _Mike groaned and shoved his book in the backpack and walked out. The others were already on their bikes. Their leader, Duke saw Mike walking out with his bag._

 _"_ _What's that, Mike? Exams?" Duke asked._

 _Mike nodded, putting his backpack on his back, pulling out his bandana from his pocket. Putting it on his head, he answered, "Those bitchy things are two months away and I'm gonna flunk!"_

 _Blaze, his dad's other best friend and the friendliest dude from Hell, spoke, "Mike needs to go home and study. Max wouldn't want the kid flunking!"_

 _Zeb groaned and rolled his eyes. "It's not like he's gonna get a job. He's already in a gang!"_

 _Duke scowled at Zeb and asked him to shut up. "We promised Max we would look after his boy. Encouraging him to flunk will be letting Max down. Mike, go home. I'll call Jett and Gunner. They won't mind coming in today."_

 _"_ _You sure?" Mike asked, his eyes lighting up when he saw Duke nod._

 _Blaze patted Mike's shoulder and told him to come to his place for dinner later. Mike smiled happily and thanked them and started the bike. Putting on his helmet, he drove away._

 _Mike decided to take a shortcut, this way he could reach home faster and start studying. The only reason he didn't want to flunk was because the headmaster had threatened to make him repeat a year. And Mike couldn't afford an extra year of college. Not because he didn't have all the time in his life, it was the money. He had recently found out that his dad was in debt and now Mike had to pay them off. Being at Hell did give him money, but that was spent on his food and basic needs. Mike had ended up selling most of the stuff at his home. And if it went this way, he would have to sell all the furniture too._

 _Just as he was driving on a deserted road, he saw something in the dark alley that made him spin the bike around and go back to see what it was._

 _Three men were beating up someone. Mike got off his bike and removed his helmet. He saw a tall, skinny boy being punched in his face. Furiously, Mike yelled, "Hey! You dumb bitches! Come and pick someone your own size!"_

 _The three men turned around. One of them snarled and ran towards Mike. Holding his helmet tightly, Mike hit the bald man with full force. The man collapsed on the ground, holding his head in pain. The two other men charged at Mike together, throwing his helmet away, he ran towards them and punched one just as he jumped to kick the other's face. With a couple of more punches, he left them all bleeding and begging him to spare them. Wiping the blood of his mouth after one had managed to catch him by surprise, Mike ran to the kid's side. The boy was of his age and Mike wondered if he had seen him before. He was clutching his stomach tightly. He had a black eye and his lip was cut. Removing his bandana, Mike cleaned the blood off his mouth._

 _"_ _Hey! You need to get up," he said quickly. "I'll take you to a hospital."_

 _The guy groaned but didn't reply. Mike put his arm around his shoulder and lifted him up. He walked the guy towards his bike. When he saw the bald dude groan and try to get up, Mike furiously kicked his head and helped the boy walk._

 _"_ _Okay, get on the bike!" Mike said, looking at his now broken helmet. He could have given it to this kid. It wasn't easy for the tall boy to climb, but with Mike's help, he got on the bike and rested against Mike's back._

 _Mike rolled his eyes but didn't say a word. He had to help this guy now, that's all that mattered._

* * *

 **A/N:** I love Hell's Mike! How are you liking the story?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter - 35**

"Sir. Excuse me, Sir… We are here." The voice was foggy, but when someone grabbed his armd and shook him, Mike woke up with a groan. "Wh—what?" he asked, looking around.

The cabbie was looking at him in concern. "Daily Planet. We are here. You okay?"

Mike sat up straight and pulled out his wallet. "Sure. Yeah, I'm fine. How much do I owe you?"

The cabbie could see dried up blood on Mike's arm, but didn't ask him about it. Once Mike paid the fare, he got out of the car and winced in pain. Pulling himself together, he made his way in. Instead of taking the elevator that he usually took, he walked a little further and pulled out the special card used for the elevator that opens near the boss' office.

Mike mentally thanked Clark for giving him the access card. Once he got in and pressed the twentieth button, he felt the wound in his arm open again as blood crept out. Mike pulled out the bandana from his pocket and tied it over his arm. He would ask Winn to bandage that later.

When he reached the twentieth floor, Mike walked out, leaning an arm against the wall for support. The closest to him was the break room and he knew he just had to go there, and figure out later how to call Winn.

Just as Mike was about to walk into the break room, he saw someone get up from their desk. It was Kara. She was talking to Brax about something. Mike wanted to call her, but then again, he wasn't sure if she would be willing to help. Sighing, he held his bleeding arm to his chest and walked into the break room.

Kara had been working on a new case with Brax. They had gotten an anonymous call that Brax didn't want to be traced. _'Privacy should be respected'_ was what he had told her. But Kara had convinced him they needed information first. With Winn's help, they had managed to track down who it was. Turned out to be a teen calling for fun. The case pretty much went out of hand after that. Kara wished Mike had let her tag along. He was much easier to work with. Although serious at times, he was still better than Brax.

Talking about the man, she hadn't seen him in a while. Kara decided to talk to him about the list of the names he had given her. She would help him out, that's the least she could do after he gave her credit for the case they worked together, where she didn't do anything important.

Just as she turned to go back to her desk, Kara saw Mike scrunching his face and making his way into the break room. _He was in pain!_ Dropping all her stuff on her desk, Kara ran to the break room and walked in to see Mike sitting on the couch, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Mike!" Kara called in horror when she saw blood on his arm. He was struggling to remove his jacket. Kara ran to him and helped him remove his jacket. She gasped when she saw the torn shirt and all the scratches on his chest. "We need to get you to a hospital!" she said when she saw the nasty cut on his arm.

"NO!" Mike groaned. "No, I hate hospitals. Just call Winn. He will put a bandage."

"Well, I can do that myself! Get up, Mike!" Kara tried to pull him up. She helped him towards the small room in the corner, the same place she had caught him with Cat. But now was not the time to think about it. She helped him sit down and rushed out to get the first-aid kit. Kara knew that Clark always kept spare clothes in his office, so she went to grab a t-shirt from him. Since he wasn't there, she texted him and promised to return it.

When she returned, she saw Mike examining the wound on his arm. Kara pulled another chair next to him and started to clean his wound, making him wince lightly.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked as she started bandaging his arm.

"The bike skid, and I fell." Mike shrugged. It wasn't like he was lying, but he didn't have to tell her everything. He stiffened when he felt her fingers on his chest. Kara noticed scars on his chest, not the newly formed bruises. She didn't really remember seeing those scars the first time she saw him without a shirt. He pretty much wore a white tank inside all the time. But this was the first time she was paying attention. Kara moved behind him to see more scars on his back. She gasped when she realized what these could have been.

"You are hurt," she said moving back and picking up the cotton to clean the bruises on his chest.

"Does it pay to state the obvious, Blondie?" Mike smirked.

"Were you hurt before today? Those scars—"

"Battle scars. I wear them proudly."

Kara sighed and went back to cleaning his wounds and bandaging his chest. She was careful with him, knowing just how badly he had scratched his body. She was almost done when she asked, "Will I be seeing you at Clark's wedding?"

Mike looked up at her as she cleaned the scratches on his hands. "Donna sent me an invite last week. I don't think I can make it."

"Why not?"

"Umm… mostly because I barely know the bride and groom. And remember the engagement party? I know Barry is going to be there and no one wants a repeat of what happened before."

Kara shook her head. "That won't happen! And you will have me there! Donna and Winn too. It will be fun, I promise."

Mike smiled. "Blondie, I have better things to do he—."

"Will you be my date?" she blurted out.

"Wh—what?" Mike started laughing loudly, but when he saw Kara's serious look, he controlled himself and asked, "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

Mike sighed and said, "Fine. I'm listening."

"Okay so, my relatives… they are the most judgmental beings to walk this earth. They know that I was with Barry for five years. And he's going to be at the wedding, but not as _my_ date. So they will put two and two together and know what happened. And they would taunt me till the day I die for not even having one successful relationship. If you just come along with me, they won't talk."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Really sounds like you want me to be there to make Barry jealous."

Kara's eyes widened and she slapped his chest, making Mike groan. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, so close that her face was right in front of his. Kara leaned closer, her lips inches away from him. "Careful, Blondie," Mike spoke softly. "Or you'll end up falling in love with me."

Kara moved back with a small smile. "You're good to go," she said as she walked out of the room. She had washed her hands and brought him Clark's t-shirt and along with his backpack. Kara helped him put on the t-shirt. When she saw the scratches on his motorcycle jacket, Kara said, "I can get this cleaned for you. And I think you need to rest. Don't forget to take the medicine."

"I'll nap in that pod," Mike said before popping the pills with some water. Kara was about to walk away when he grabbed her arm. She turned around in surprise. "Thanks… Kara," he said before leaning closer to place a soft kiss on her temple. Mike then walked out of the room and made his way towards the sleeping pod. Once he lay down, the memory of helping that young guy came back slowly.

 _Mike had reached the hospital and the guy had collapsed on his back. With a help of a nurse, Mike managed to get the guy inside._

 _Another nurse was asking him to fill out details about the patient, and Mike was lost._

 _"_ _I don't know anything," he called._

 _The nurse looked up in surprise. "Aren't you family? Not the boyfriend?"_

 _"_ _No. God! No, I just found him in the street." Mike facepalmed himself. "Check his pockets, must be an ID or something there."_

 _The young nurse frowned at him. "Don't tell me how to do my job, mister." Saying that, she walked away to check if the guy had an ID on him._

 _Mike went and sat down in the lounge, waiting for the nurse to come back and tell him how the guy was doing. He had to wait for almost twenty minutes to see the nurse walk out._

 _"_ _What are you still doing here?" she asked in surprise. She was older, probably in her early twenties and she couldn't help but check him out._

 _Mike smirked. "How is he doing?"_

 _The nurse, Quinn (as the name tag read) smiled at him before moving closer. "Really not the boyfriend?"_

 _"_ _Do you want me to kiss you and prove it I'm not?" Mike flirted back._

 _Quinn blushed and looked away. "Look, you are not family, so I can't tell you. You said you found him on the street."_

 _"_ _I did. But I really want to know how badly he's hurt."_

 _"_ _What's your name?" she asked softly._

 _"_ _Mike."_

 _"_ _Mike, listen. He's a… he's got two bruised ribs and a bad concussion and some minor cuts. We have to keep him here for two to three days. We managed to find out whom to call in case of emergencies, they will be here soon. Why don't you wait? Meet them."_

 _Mike shook his head. "No, I need to be somewhere. Thanks for letting me know." Smiling, he said, "Thanks, Quinn. See ya!"_

 _The nurse smiled back and went back to her desk._

 _Mike headed outside and quickly started his bike and left. He headed home straight. When he reached home, he saw someone waiting outside. Mike cursed. It was Daryl, the debt collector._

 _"_ _Man, I told you I don't have that cash!" Mike called, walking towards him._

 _Daryl frowned at him. "And I told you, Matthews, that I need my money today!"_

 _"_ _Look, my dad was the one who took money from you. He never told me about it! How can you expect me to pay it back?!"_

 _"_ _I don't know, you little jerk. You get my money now or else I'll trash you and your stupid bike."_

 _Mike charged at him and had him pinned against the wall. "Don't you dare, Daryl. Hell hath no fury like a Matthews scorned. You will have your f*cking money this weekend. Now get your ass off my porch!"_

 _Daryl glared at him and walked away. "This Saturday, Matthews. Don't make me remind you again."_

 _Mike rolled his eyes and watched Daryl get into his car and drive away. Without thinking twice, Mike ran back to his bike and got on. He drove straight to Hell's garage and walked in to see if Blaze was there. The whole debt issue was going to kill him someday and right now talking to one of the older guys would help._

 _Mike walked in to see that no one was in the garage, when he walked back out, he saw Duke getting off his bike._

 _"_ _Mike? What are you doing here, kid?" Duke asked in surprise. He had sent Mike home, why was the kid back again?_

 _"_ _Oh nothing, I was just here to see if Blaze was here." Mike went back to his bike but was stopped by Duke, who grabbed his arm._

 _"_ _What is it, kid? I'm sure no one told you this, but your old man made the same face when he was in trouble. What happened?"_

 _Mike sighed loudly. "The debt collector was at my place. He wants the cash and the amount is big."_

 _"_ _How big?"_

 _"_ _Selling the house big."_

 _Duke nodded quietly. Then he finally said, "Do it. Sell the house. Pay it off."_

* * *

 **A/N:** Mike's life was no bed of roses. :( So... do you think Mike will be her date at Clark's wedding? What will Barry say?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter - 36**

It had been three days since that incident with Mike. Kara had even dropped him off at his place, after he complained nonstop that her car was too small for him. And the reason he gave her made her cringe.

"How will we have sex in the back in such a tiny car? Stupid Blondie!"

Kara rolled her eyes just thinking about this. Mike and his inappropriate jokes. She knew one week with him wouldn't be easy, especially when he was pretending to be her boyfriend.

And so, this is how Kara Kent ended up at the airport, sitting next to her two best friends, rolling her eyes hear one of them shout at the other and the other apologize even though it clearly wasn't his fault.

"I told you I wanted the red dress!" Donna groaned. "You know I look hot in red! Even Hal thinks I look hot in red! Come on, Winn! How could you screw this up?"

"I'm sorry." Winn pouted. "I did keep the red dress."

"No, you packed a red shirt. There's a difference between a dress and a shirt, one of them is longer and has a deep neck and no buttons!"

"Guys! Calm down. You'll get us thrown out if you keep arguing and shouting," Kara said, only to earn a glare from Donna, who huffed and turned away. Kara had wanted to tell them something but seeing how tense the mood was she decided to keep quiet.

She was just about to pull her headphones out from her bag when she saw Mike making his way towards them. He waved his boarding card at her and gave her a huge smile. Kara smiled back and stood up to greet him, but Donna had also noticed him and she ran towards him.

"Mike, you came!" Donna cheered as she hugged him tightly.

"Well, you invited and who was I to say no?" Mike grinned, patting her back. When he pulled away, he waved at Winn and Kara. "And of course, how could I leave my _girlfriend_ alone for a week?"

Donna's eyes widened hearing that. Winn looked around to see who Mike was talking about. Kara facepalmed herself and waited for Mike and Donna to join them. "I can explain," she said to Donna and Winn, who were looking at her in surprise.

"No, let me!" Mike cut in and started speaking, "Kara asked me to be her fake boyfriend, and I don't like seeing girls in distress, so I said yes. It's just social service!"

Donna nodded, obviously accepting whatever Mike had said. But Winn seemed confused, looking to and forth between Kara and Mike. They all knew Barry was coming to the wedding, and Mike pretending to be Kara's boyfriend could mean just one thing… He looked at Kara carefully before taking a seat again. _Was she really trying that hard to make Barry jealous?_

Kara sat down next to Winn and even kept her bag down so the chair next to her was empty; but to her dismay, Mike went to sit next to Donna and for the next fifteen minutes they were busy joking about something. Winn and Kara rolled their eyes at them but didn't dare to tell them anything in case Donna lost it and started shouting at them again.

When it was time to board, Mike went and stood behind Kara. "Are you feeling better?" she asked, without turning back.

He leaned closer and replied, "Much better. Thanks! Your painkillers helped a lot."

"I'm glad." She suppressed a grin by biting her lower lip, but jumped when she felt him slide his arm over her waist and pull her back against his chest. "Mike!" Kara gritted her teeth. "What are you doing?"

He rested his chin on her shoulder and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Can't I hold my girlfriend and kiss her whenever I want?"

Kara turned to look at him, her eyes widening. "Yes! But do it with your _real_ girlfriend. We are only pretending!"

Mike sighed and pulled away. "Hey, you know, for this to work, we have to look convincing enough. Or else your family is just gonna think you hired me or something. Though I am doing you a favor, I don't wanna be labeled as a fake boyfriend. So we have to engage in some PDA for this to work."

When Kara didn't reply, Mike rolled his eyes and started walking ahead since the boarding had started. She knew she had upset him since he barely looked at her when they boarded. And Kara wasn't really surprised when she saw him sit next to Winn. She let it go. She knew once he had calmed down, he would talk to her.

Well, that was what she had expected. But when she saw this one particular stewardess come to check on him more than once, often giving him a look that made Kara want to throw up, she decided she had enough of it.

Kara stood up and moved towards the seats in front of her. Winn was busy showing Mike something on his phone, but when he saw Kara approach them, he looked up and asked, "Everything okay, Kare bear?"

Kara leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Why don't you sit next to Donna? I know you want to!"

Winn didn't have to be told twice. He got up and changed seats with Kara. Mike smirked when he saw her sit down. It was almost a six hours flight and they had only been flying for the last two hours. He didn't speak, despite knowing she really wanted him to ask her why she changed the seats. But when she finally cleared her throat, he gave her a small smile.

"Thought you would have gotten bored hearing Winn's nonstop chatter," Kara said softly.

Mike shrugged. "Winn's a great person to talk to. Especially when it's such a long flight."

"I can be good travel talking buddy too!"

"Okay."

"Seriously! Let's talk."

"About what?" Mike raised a single brow.

"You." Kara smiled seeing him shake his head. "I told you all about my family _and_ my extended family. You have even met my best friends. You know everything there's to know about me. And all I know about you is that you work at The Daily Planet, you are an investigative reported, you have a best friend named Ricky, you are from Los Angeles and sex is the only thing in your mind."

Mike couldn't help but chuckle hearing that. "Maybe I should let you right my biography, huh, Blondie?"

"Come on, Mike! I'm your friend, aren't I? Why can't you share stuff with me?"

Seeing the honesty in her eyes, he let out a sigh and nodded. "I'm an orphan. I lost my father when I was in high school. As for my mother… I don't really know. My dad's friends took care of me after his death. That's when I met Ricky. He used to tutor me." Mike smiled remembering his best friend. "I saved his life once and he pretended as if he owed me. My dad left me in debts so I sold my house. When Ricky found out I was living in an old, abandoned garage, he somehow convinced his dad to give me a job at their watersport shop. It was fun. That's when Ricky taught me how to dive. Though his passion lay with the deepest, bluest seas; mine was stuck with words. So I began writing, travelling and here I am now. The end. Oh, when you do write that biography, I was 60% of the royalties, okay?"

Kara's mouth fell open. The things she really wanted to know for months. He had laid his heart open in a matter of few minutes. She was truly surprised. An orphan. No wonder he didn't speak of his parents. And however close she could get, Ricky was always going to be the friend Mike loved and cared for most.

Kara was about to speak, to thank him for opening up to her, for trusting her, but suddenly another voice broke her train of thoughts.

"Excuse me, Sir, here's your coffee."

Kara looked up to see it was the same stewardess who was busy flirting with Mike before. She simply rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Would you like anything else, Sir?" the stewardess asked Mike.

"No, Mandy, this is good. Thank you," Mike replied with a charming smile.

"If you need anything, I'm just at the back." Mandy bit her lower lip and walked away.

"Did you see what she just did?" Kara asked, her tone filled with annoyance.

"What? She got me coffee is all."

"She totally ignored me! She outright flirted with you while I'm still here and she hinted something!"

"Easy, babe! She was just subtly telling me that if I wanted to hook up with her, she's out at back. Why're you acting so weird? You aren't my girlfriend."

Kara's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that stewardess hinted something and Mike actually managed to catch it. What if he took up her offer and went out back and had sex with her?

"Eww!" Kara cringed. "You're so disgusting! And listen, I _am_ your girlfriend! At least for the next week so stop looking at other women and stop thinking about sex!"

"Oh, I can't do that. Not with you sitting right here."

"What?"

"I know the bathroom is small, but do you wanna give it a try? I mean, have you ever done it in a bathroom?" Seeing her eyes widen, Mike smirked. "Barry such a wimp to not do it in a public not-so-public space?"

Kara didn't know what got into her, she slapped him. It wasn't a hard slap, but Mike looked at her in shock. "You are _so_ gonna pay for this, Kent!" he warned her. He quickly started undoing his seatbelt. "Move. I need to go to the restroom."

"Why? To bang that stewardess?" Kara sneered.

"To pee, you idiot! Move your butt now!"

Kara groaned as she undid her seatbelt and stood up. Mike quickly moved past her. But then he stopped short when he heard her say, "If you don't come back in five minutes, I'm gonna drag your ass back to your seat… _boyfriend_!"

All that was all it took for Mike to snap and Hell's Mike to appear. He pushed her so she fell on her seat. Grabbing her chin, he bent down and crashed his lips over hers. Kara's eyes widened. Mike pulled away, leaving her dumbstruck. "You are most welcome to try… _girlfriend_!" Showing her his middle finger, he turned around and walked away.

By the time Mike had returned, Kara had taken his seat and was busy watching a movie. He shook his head and plopped next to her. She tried her hardest to ignore him, his gaze. But soon she was getting bored. She wanted to talk to him, to get to know him. And as always, Mike had other things in mind. He had fallen asleep. His head resting on her shoulder. And that when she realized he was still taking painkillers for his injuries.

Kara couldn't help but think of the older scars she had seen on his body. How did he get them? Had he been fighting people? Or was he… abused?

He didn't have an easy childhood; she had gathered that from his little confession already. But what bothered her was why Mike and Barry didn't get along. Mike seemed like a fiercely protective friend. Barry was also one of the kindest people she had met. If they were cousins, they had to be close. But no, they were certainly not close and the stunt they pulled at Clark's engagement party was enough to prove that. But why didn't they like each other? What had happened in their past that made them so distant? Kara knew that these questions weren't going to let her rest. She needed answers. And she needed them quickly.

* * *

 **A/N:** God! I love their little banter! Old married couple!

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter - 37**

As Mike slept on her shoulder, Kara couldn't help but smile as he snored lightly. She wondered if his injuries had healed. He hadn't really asked her to help him change the bandages.

Looking at his face, something made her lean closer. Mike's eyes opened just then, but she wasn't able to move away. When she felt him stare at her, she blurted out, "Your lips are so red."

A small smile played on Mike's face as he leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss. He put only a little pressure before he pulled away and turned. Kara sat quietly waiting for him to turn around and talk to her, but when he didn't, she leaned over him and saw that he had fallen asleep again. Kara facepalmed herself and grinned.

When Mike woke up, he noticed that Kara was busy watching a movie. He undid his seatbelt and got up. He could feel Kara's gaze on him, but he chose to ignore it as he walked to the back. Mandy's face lit up when she saw him.

"Hi there," she greeted him with a flirty smile.

"Hey Mandy," he greeted her back. "Can I get two cups of coffee, please?" Mike stretched his arms and Mandy quickly nodded and started making coffee for him. She asked him if he lived in Seattle and he told her he didn't.

"LA," Mike replied. "It's a beautiful place! We have the best beaches."

"Hawaiian beaches aren't that bad either," Mandy said before biting her lower lip seductively. "Wanna meet up once we get there?"

Mike smirked. Something made him turn around and he saw Kara's head peeping over the seat. The second she saw him, she lowered her head. He waited for a couple of seconds and caught her staring at him again. Mike chuckled and turned to face Mandy. "I would love to, but really can't. You see that girl sitting in my seat? I'm with her."

Mandy's smile fell. "Oh, I thought she's just a friend. Well, here's my number, if you change your mind." She gave him a card before handing over the drinks.

"Will do." Mike winked at her before returning to his seat.

Kara was pretending to watch a movie. Mike sat down and held a cup out for her and said, "Here you go." She simply looked at him and asked, "What?"

"Stupid Blondie!" Mike shook his head as he gave her the cup and pulled at the headphone cord that she hadn't even bothered to plug in. He chuckled as he shook his head and started sipping his coffee.

Kara simply sat looking at him as she drank her coffee. When he suddenly turned, she looked like a dear caught in headlights. "I should charge you for looking at me," Mike said smugly. "Or you know there are others ways to pay me." He tilted his head towards the front where the restrooms were.

"Ew! You are so disgusting!" Kara made a face and looked away, looking out the window. She could see the city now and she grabbed onto Mike's arm in excitement, trying to show him they were gonna land soon. He just smiled at her and sat back in his seat.

It didn't take long for them to land. After collecting their bags, they headed out and as soon as the sun hit his face, Mike was slowly slipping away to his past, back to his home.

 _Playing at the beach with the hot, burning sun hitting his back, twelve-year-old Mike Matthews was chasing the waves. He ran back before the waves touched his legs. It had become a pastime. He liked to play out at the beach whenever his father wasn't at home._

 _"_ _Mike!" A loud, booming voice caught his attention. He turned around with a big smile to see it was his dad._

 _"_ _Dad! You're back!" Mike waved at him and ran towards their house._

 _Maxwell Matthews had a huge grin on his face as he pulled his son into a hug. That surprised Mike since his father wasn't the hugging type. Mike simply smiled when Max pulled away._

 _"_ _I have something to show you. Come along!" Max led the way towards the front of the house. Mike ran after him to see a brand new Harley Davidson parked in front of their porch. His eyes widened. He hesitated to touch it but when Max gently shoved him towards the bike with a big grin, Mike walked towards it and ran his hand over it._

 _"_ _Is this new, Dad?" he asked softly._

 _"_ _It's new and it's ours, Mike!" Max replied proudly. "Damn! I had to save a lot for this one. But it's all ours, Kid. We no longer have to use the bus or the train. We have a vehicle of our own."_

 _Mike felt his eyes water. He quickly wiped his cheeks before turning around. His dad was a mechanic and the house they lived in was passed down by his grandfather. They didn't have many good things in life. But his dad had just bought them a vehicle. And he knew he was gonna treasure it._

 _Max could see his boy crying. He simply moved closer and pulled him into a hug and patted his head. "Hey! Come on. Don't cry. Let me take you on a ride. It feels great when the wind hits your face. Let's go, Mike!"_

 _Mike looked up and nodded vigorously. Maybe they were finally going to have good things in their life too. Just maybe…_

"Mike. Mike!" He snapped out of his daze when he felt Kara calling his name. "You okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine!" He noticed that they were standing outside in the line for a taxi, but what truly surprised all of them was when a car pulled right in front of them and Hal Jordan got out, waving to Kara and Donna.

Mike's eyes fell on Winn who was frowning at Hal who had his arms opened wide for Donna. Donna went to greet him by giving him a loud kiss, thanking him for coming to pick them up. Hal then pulled Kara into a hug and joked about something that made her burst out laughing. Sadly, Donna got to sit in the front with Hal. Kara, Mike and Winn were stuck in the back, with Mike literally being stuck in middle of Kara and Winn. He didn't mind one bit but when Eric ended up calling him to ask if he had landed, Mike had to awkwardly talk to him stuck in between his friends.

"Yup. We are on the way to the hotel," Mike spoke to him, feeling Kara's gaze burn into his face. "Have you checked it out…? I don't know. Check all the rooms, I don't want them leaving behind _anything_. I want it back as it was given… Great! I'll see if I can make it there and sign the papers... Miss you too. Give my love to Nancy." He cut the call and tried to sit back comfortably, but it wasn't really easy since Kara was sitting rather awkwardly facing him. He suddenly turned towards her and gritted, "I'm gonna make you pay for staring at me!"

She scrunched her face and turned away, but not for long. As soon as they reached the hotel and headed towards the reception to gets their keys, Kara ran to catch up with Mike.

Donna had already walked ahead with Hal, holding his hand. This upset Winn so much that he fell back, not wanting to talk to any of them. Knowing he wanted his space, Kara decided to talk to Mike instead.

"So, was that Eric?" she asked, walking by his side.

Mike nodded. "Yeah. He was just checking if I landed safely."

"What papers were you talking about signing?"

Mike let out a small chuckle. Of course, she had paid attention to his entire conversation. Knowing there was no point in hiding the truth anymore, Mike replied, "I'm buying a property in LA. Since I personally can't check the place before buying, Ricky is acting on my behalf. But I might have to go there to sign the agreement and take the keys."

"Oh, a place in LA? That's nice." She didn't look that happy with his answer, which he obviously noticed, so he simply stopped short to wait for Winn to catch up with him, but Kara grabbed his hand and asked, "So why are you in Seattle? Is it some old case you have been working on or something?"

He nodded. "That's right! A very _old_ case that I've been working on for ages. Once that's done, I'll go back home." Mike winked at Kara and turned around to talk to Winn. Kara has sighed loudly and left them alone, so Mike made use of the opportunity and asked Winn in a very serious tone, "Do you love Donna?"

"Mike, not the time or the place for this!"

"Do you love Donna?" Mike repeated, a small frown replacing his trademark smirk.

Winn gave him a small nod. "But I'm too late, as always. She's with Hal now. Who would have thought? The best man and the bride's maid!"

"Well, that's kinda clichéd, man. But you know what's your problem? You give Donna too much attention! You literally hero worship her."

Winn scoffed. "No, I don't!" When he saw Mike roll his eyes at him, Winn sighed. "Okay, fine. I love her. And I want to be with her. I tried, okay? I tried to be her 'perfect' guy! But she changes her type every week!"

"Then bring back the real Winn." Mike smiled brightly. "Bring back the guy you really are and make _her_ fall in love with you."

"How do I do that?"

Mike threw his arm around Winn's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, buddy! You got me. Just do as I say and that girl will be yours by the time we return to Seattle. You have my word."

Winn nodded and gave Mike an unexpected hug. Mike chuckled and patted his back. Once they got their keys, they all headed to their rooms to get changed and head over to the beach.

* * *

Donna was staying with Hal, but she really couldn't let people know that so she was sharing the room with Kara. Winn had just walked in to check on the girls to see Donna wearing a dark blue bikini, and she was holding out a red two-piece bikini out for Kara, who was sitting on the bed and shaking her head.

"How do I look?" Donna asked Winn, twirling around with a small smirk on her face.

He wanted to tell her she looked absolutely gorgeous, but he remembered Mike's words, _'Never compliment a girl unless absolutely necessary. And that has to happen after you have taken her to bed.'_

"You look fine," Winn said nonchalantly and turned to face Kara, who sat pouting holding her black one-piece swimsuit in her hands. "You wearing that, Kare bear?"

Donna's eyes widened seeing Winn's behavior, but she chose to ignore it since she wanted Kara to wear something that showed her skin more. "Kara, you better wear the red bikini or Mike is so not looking at you, Grandma!"

Kara moaned and looked at Winn for some help, but he simply shrugged and lifted his arms up in surrender. Knowing that Donna wasn't gonna listen to her, Kara groaned and grabbed the red pieces from her friend's hand. Donna slipped on a t-shirt over her head, grabbed Winn's arm and dragged him outside. Winn had told her that Mike was already at the beach, so they just had to join him. When Kara walked out of her room, she had slipped on a summer dress.

The three friends made their way towards the beach to see Mike swimming in a black swim short. Donna let out a whistle. "That's a fine ass."

Kara frowned at her just as Mike turned to look at them, he waved to them and gestured them to join him. With a mischievous smile on her face, Kara lifted her dress and shoved it in Donna's arms and ran towards the warm water. Mike's jaw dropped when he saw her in a sinfully hot red two-piece. He shook his head as she swam towards him. This week was going to be incredibly _hard_ for him. Oh he just knew it!

* * *

 **A/N:** So KarMike is finally happening, eh? ;) Barry will be here very soon!

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter - 38**

"Hi there, boyfriend," Kara said in a teasing tone as she reached Mike.

He smirked at her as she threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer. As Kara touched his lips with hers, she moaned feeling him deepen the kiss. He placed his hand on her hip and the other on the back of her head and titled his head. Kara couldn't help but smile against his lips. She had dreamt of this moment, when she could set herself free and be with him. Even if they were pretending to be together, Kara knew she would cherish every second of their time together.

Little did she know that her best friends had gotten the front row seats to her torrid romance with one Mike Matthews. Well, it's not like they had to pay for it. They could enjoy it all they wanted, Kara didn't mind at all.

"She's really doing it, isn't she?" Donna asked, letting out a surprised gasp.

"She _does_ like him," Winn replied. "I mean, why else would she ask him to be her fake boyfriend? It's easier this way. If they both mutually agree to their feelings within this week, we might have a new couple in town. For real, this time."

Donna suddenly turned to look at Winn in surprise. "Hey! You are actually smart!"

Winn couldn't help but redden and nod. "Thanks. I'm glad you noticed."

"That's because you hang around me, and I rubbed off on you." Donna smirked and turned to look at Kara swimming away from Mike who was playfully trying to catch her. "I think I'm gonna go swim with them."

Winn grabbed her arm and shook his head. "They will stop being so… open once you get in there! Give them some time alone together."

"Are you seriously shipping those two? Huh? Whatcha gonna call them? KarMike?"

Her friend simply shrugged and said, "They look pretty cute together. And hey, I—" Winn's words got cut off when he saw someone walking towards them. "Oh shit!" He cursed loudly. "Is that Grandma V?"

Donna turned to see what Winn was looking at and that's when she saw _her_. Clark and Kara's grandmother from their mom's side, Violet Warner, who preferred to be referred as V to everyone and Grandma V to her grandchildren, their best friends and Diana. With her short blonde hair and bright cerulean blue eyes hidden behind her huge shades, she was obviously checking out the men at the beach.

Winn cringed and asked, "Is she still with Grandpa Mark?"

"No. Didn't she divorce him three months ago? Look at her checking out the boys over there. Oh, shut up, she's coming!" Donna stood straight and smiled when she saw Grandma V making her way towards them.

"Oh, there you are!" Grandma V called as she gave them her trademark charming smile. "Donna, Winslow. Good to see you two, lovelies."

"Hi, Grandma V!" Donna moved forward to hug her. "Did you just arrive? Why are you at the beach?"

"Oh you know, pleasant weather!" Grandma V lowered her glasses and looked at some poor dude. Donna and Winn knew she had set her sights on someone. Someone younger and hotter. Everyone was already talking about how she was going to try to find her fifth husband at Clark's wedding.

Winn was about to speak, to ask Grandma V if she wanted any help finding the reception so she could go and rest in her room, but when he saw someone making their way towards them, he let out a loud sigh.

"What is it?" Donna asked. Winn pointed towards a man in a suit.

"Freaking Allen!" Donna glared as Barry joined them.

"Hey Winn, Donna," he greeted, his smile fading when he saw her glare. Turning towards Kara's grandmother, he smiled brightly and said, "Grandma V! What a surprise!"

Grandma V looked at him carefully, judging his choice of apparels at the beach. An Armani. "Are you still with my little princess?" the lady asked, still judging the young man.

Barry stiffened. "Umm… Grandma V, you know… it's just… it's complicated."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Donna narrowed her eyes at her best friend's ex. "You two are sooo over! Grandma V, Kara is with someone else. His name is Mike!"

Barry couldn't help but frown as Donna pointed towards the beach. He turned around to see Kara laughing loudly as Mike grabbed her by her waist and threw her into the water. Then he swam towards her and pulled her closer. Kara crashed her lips with Mike's, making Barry's blood boil.

Grandma V was busy checking out Hal Jordan, who had just joined them. Barry had totally missed the frown Winn sent Hal and Donna's way as they stood kissing and how Grandma V let out a disappointed sigh knowing Hal was taken. Donna walked away with Hal, telling Winn that she would see him later.

As she kissed Mike, Kara opened her eyes to see her grandmother talking to Winn and Barry, and Donna leaving with Hal. _Barry!_ He was here! Kara quickly pulled away, making Mike raise a single brow.

"You okay?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah! Yeah… I just… my grandmother is here. It's been a while since I last saw her so I should go say hi. I'll see you later." Kara pecked his lips and swam away.

Mike didn't follow her. He simply watched how she ran away and that Barry ran after her. Of course! Freaking Bartholomew ruining everything! Seeing as it was no fun hanging around here, Mike stepped out of the water.

Noticing how Barry ran after Kara, Winn shook his head and turned to see Mike stepping out, looking like a freaking model, no less. If Baywatch was filming here, this sure would have looked like a shoot since Mike walked out of the water, running a hand through his hair and walking towards them with long strides.

Grandma V once again pulled her glasses down. "Is that hottie too young to be Clark and Kara's new grandfather?"

Winn's jaw dropped. Grandma V had set her eyes on Mike. This was so not going to end well.

When Mike approached them, Grandma V was busy checking him out. "Hey! Where did Kara and Donna go?" Mike asked Winn, before grabbing a towel from his friend.

"Donna went with Hal. Kara ran to escape Barry. She might need some rescuing," Winn said, tapping his left wrist. Mike quickly understood what his friend was trying to say.

"Shit!" Mike shook his head and ran towards where he last saw Barry.

Meanwhile, Kara had thought she had managed to escape Barry. She was heading towards her room when she heard him call.

"Kare bear!"

Kara stiffened. This wasn't going to be good. She didn't even have a wristwatch to cover her stupid tattoo. She turned around and gave Barry a small smile.

Grinning, he gave her a big hug. "Gosh! I missed you so much!"

"Me too, Bar. Did you have a nice flight?"

"I guess… I mean, it flew." Barry scratched the back of his head. The air around them grew awkward. He wanted to ask Kara about what he just saw at the beach, but he also had a feeling it was all fake, and Kara was doing this to make him jealous. Well, it worked. Just as he was about to speak, he saw something on her wrist. Moving closer to take hold of it, he asked, "You got a tattoo?"

Before Kara could pull her hand back, Barry's eyes widened and he cried, "You got Michael's name tattooed on your wrist? Why would you do that, Kara?!"

"First of all, he's my boyfriend. Second, it's none of your business." Kara pulled her arm away and scowled at him.

"It _is_ my business! It involves you!"

"Hey babe!" a third voice said as Barry and Kara turned to see Mike walking towards them. He was holding a towel in his hand and he quickly threw it over Kara, covering her now cold body. Mike leaned closer and pecked her icy cold lips. Then he turned towards Barry and spoke, "Oh hey, Bartholomew! I didn't see you there!"

"Michael! Get away from Kara! I know the game you are playing. You did it once before. Don't think I'll let you get away with it again."

Seeing Barry scowl, Mike chuckled. He then threw his right arm over Kara's shoulder and waved Barry away. He might not have done that on purpose, but Barry sure saw his tattoo.

"YOU GOT MATCHING TATTOOS?!" Barry yelled, making Mike cringe as he shrugged.

"That's what couples do, Bartholomew. Now you stay the f*ck away from my girl! No one wants a repeat of what happened at the engagement party. But I sure am ready to knock out all your teeth!"

"Okay! Okay, enough!" Kara called as she put herself in between Barry and Mike. "Barry, listen. If you were expecting me to wait, I'm sorry to say but you were wrong. And Mike, stop with your goddamn attitude, it's giving me a headache."

Mike rolled his eyes at her and looked away. But Barry was furious. Kara knew he would end up saying something he didn't mean, so she grabbed hold of Mike's arm and dragged him away to where their rooms were.

Winn had already joined them, and he didn't miss how Kara glared at Mike and walked into her room, closing the door with a loud bang.

"So…" Winn began. "How about you put on a shirt and run? Coz Grandma V might have set her eyes on you."

"Who's Grandma V?" Mike asked in confusion.

"OHHH WINSLOWWW!" Someone called out loudly. Winn's eyes widened as he opened the door to his room and pushed Mike inside and locked the door.

Leaning against the door, Winn said, "Someone you should stay FAR away from!"

* * *

That evening, after she had joined them after doing whatever she was doing with Hal, Donna along with Winn, Kara and Mike went out into the town.

Trying to escape Grandma V, Mike had enough time to tell Winn what to do to win over Donna and that was exactly what Winn was going to do.

The boys walked behind the girls, Winn telling Mike about visiting Hawaii before, and Mike telling him about his Floridian adventures with his best friend. Mike clicked a lot of pictures and as he took one of Kara alone, he noticed a certain someone's head peaking in the background. Mike narrowed his eyes when he noticed it was Barry.

"Boys," Donna called. "Kara and I are going shopping. Come along, Winn, someone has to carry our bags."

Winn took a step forward but he stopped himself. "You two go ahead. Mike and I are going to hang out around here."

Donna seemed surprised by his answer but when Kara dragged her off, she didn't complain.

Once the girls left, Mike muttered, "Barry is following us."

"No way! Is he really?" Winn was about to turn to look behind them but Mike stopped him.

"Don't turn around! He shouldn't know that we know he's following us."

The boys ended up walking a little further. Mike taking more pictures, and Barry still being their shadow. When the girls joined them, both holding two ice creams in their hands, Winn waved to them. Donna handed over a Popsicle to Winn without a word, but when Kara offered one to Mike, he thanked her but refused to take it. He could still feel Barry's eyes on them, so he pulled Kara close and asked her to pose for a selfie. She smiled one of her sweetest smiles, ice cream in her hand and completely unaware of Barry's presence.

Once Mike took their picture, Kara told him, "The ice cream is really nice. You should taste it."

Mike gave her a small nod. "Okay, let me taste it!" Saying that, he pulled her closer and crashed his lips against hers. Even though he kept telling himself that he was only doing this for Barry's benefit, to make his stupid cousin jealous, Mike knew very well that he just needed Kara. And he was no longer able to lie to himself.

* * *

 **A/N:** Trust me, Kara's grandmother is gonna be one awesome character! :D And Barry is back! Finally! And did you expect the reaction from him after seeing the matching tattoos?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter - 39**

When the gang had returned to the hotel after their little sightseeing, Hal had come to take Donna to dinner. She was excited and had said yes almost immediately. But they had all planned to spend some time at the swimming pool earlier. Donna turned to look at her friends. Kara had told her that she was going to spend some quality time with her big bro. But Winn had been awfully quiet.

"Winn and I are going out for drinks," Mike announced finally. "There's a nightclub nearby. We will see you all at breakfast tomorrow. Come on, Winny! Let's go!"

Donna didn't like Mike using her nickname for Winn. And she noticed that Winn didn't protest. Maybe this was for good. Maybe they were all moving on. Giving Hal a quick kiss, she dragged him off to the restaurant.

* * *

After Donna left with Hal and Winn with Mike, Kara made her way towards the swimming pool. She had lied about spending time with Clark. She knew he was too busy with the wedding coming up in two days. And Hal had messed up their schedule so the bachelor party ended up being tomorrow. She knew Clark would be with Diana, and she didn't want to disturb them.

As Kara sat with her legs submerged in the pool, she heard someone make their way towards her. She looked up to see it was John. Kara gave him a big smile and waved at him.

"Imagine my surprise to see _you_ here instead of Barry sulking the rest of his day off," John called as he ruffled her hair and sat next to her. His legs went in deeper and looked big next to Kara's.

"Barry was sulking?" Kara asked, her voice low.

"Looks like he doesn't have anything better to do these days. So… Diana told us that you are here with Mike. The same guy who punched Barry at Clark's engagement party?"

"Barry's cousin, yes. Mike Matthews. He works with me. He's good."

"I hope he is; good to you, I mean. If he's not, I swear, I'll disfigure him!"

Kara chuckled. Just like her brother and Winn, John and Hal had always been protective of her. Only the boys would never harm anyone; Donna, on the other hand, would. She had punched Barry more than once.

"No, I swear. Whatever I have with Mike, I know what I'm getting into… but…"

"But what?"

"He's different. He closes himself off and he's… kinda secretive."

"Do you know a lot about him?" John asked.

"A little. And by what he has told me, I feel he's just too lonely and he needs someone. Barry thinks otherwise."

"Again, Barry is not a good judge of character. He has made mistakes in his life before. Yet you were ready to live with all of them. Mike might not be different. They are cousins, after all. No guy is perfect, Kara. Not even your brother. He loved Diana so much, but he saw her talking to Bruce once and started to question all those years he crushed on her like crazy. Then he ended up dating his colleague for all of three months just to realize how horribly wrong he was. Diana loved him too and when that idiot finally confessed his love, she did tell him she had loved him for a long time. Though even she made a mistake by going out with Bruce. Everyone makes mistakes. If you are going to judge them all, life is going to be really hard for you. You are starting a new life with Mike. Whatever the past, let it be there. It is the _past_ for a reason. You should concentrate on your present and see how you can make that work in your future."

Kara laughed softly. "Did I ever tell you that you give the best advices?"

"Hmmm… maybe some ten to hundred times since you were in third grade." John smiled and threw his arm over her shoulder. Kara hugged him and smiled. Maybe not Clark, but she did get to talk with her brother.

They talked some more. From Hal and Donna (which John was convinced wouldn't last) to Clark's wedding and how her brother was a bundle of nerves to Grandma V's husband hunting, Kara was yawing as John checked the time to see it was late.

He kissed her forehead and told her to go to bed. He had to go meet Hal and work out their schedule for the next day. The rehearsals were in the morning and he had to be up early.

Waving goodbye to John, Kara made her way towards her room. She stopped short to see Mike and Winn making their way towards her. Both holding a bottle of beer and dancing, singing something off tune. Shaking her head, she ran to catch Winn who stumbled.

"I got him," she said to Mike as she took Winn to his room. She managed to get him in bed and removed his shoes and socks off. Taking the bottle from him, she tucked him in and left the room.

Mike was leaning against the door and giving her a seductive smile. "Wanna tuck me in too? I can tuck into _you_ , if you want."

"Eww! You are disgusting!" Kara moved away as he came closer to kiss her. Mike stood with his lips puckered, his hand holding onto her arm. "What?" she demanded.

"I'm your boyfriend! You gotta kiss me goodnight!"

"No. Go away."

Mike's eyes narrowed towards her. "Fine. I'm going to tell Bartholomew that we aren't dating. That this was _all_ fake."

"NO! Come here!" Kara grabbed him by his collar and pulled him closer. She kissed him fervently. His lips soft yet demanding. Mike's hand slipped over her waist. The other went to her back and was unzipping her dress and caressing her bare back. Kara broke the kiss in a hurry and pushed him away. "Damn you, Mike Matthews! Always thinking about sex!"

"Hey! You love it!" Mike winked at her and sauntered to his room. All the while telling her that if she changed her mind, she knew where to find him.

* * *

It was the next day Kara let out a sigh in disappointment when she noticed both Winn and Mike had not turned up for breakfast. Donna had gone to Winn's room and checked to see if he was asleep. Seeing as he was, she joined Kara for breakfast.

Her relatives were here and some of them were already talking about how she had broken up with poor Barry. They were blaming her; that was the only thing they ever did. So after breakfast, when they all headed towards where the rehearsal was taking place, Kara noticed Mike and Winn walk in. Winn quickly went to take his place as one of the groomsmen, and Mike made his way towards her.

"Sup, girlfriend?" he asked Kara with a big grin.

Kara frowned and crossed her arms across her chest. "You are late."

"No, I am not. I'm on time for the rehearsal. Last I checked that was what you wanted me to be here for, right? To _pretend_ to be your boyfriend. That is exactly what I'm doing."

Kara let out a sigh. "Fine. Do whatever you want. But stay away from me."

Mike didn't stop her when she walked away. He went and took a seat in the back and watched the rehearsal. He had met Donna's mother on his way in. Winn had introduced them. Lyta Prince was polite but not entirely friendly like her daughters were. All the time he had spent at 'One Block East', he had managed to have drinks with Donna and they were able to talk about their lives. She had talked about her father, the strained relationship she had with the man and how her mother loathed him. So Mike knew very well why Miss Prince was on the edge. She didn't want her ex present at the wedding. But if he turned up, Mike knew that would be a bigger problem than him and Barry being under one roof. He could see Barry shooting daggers at him. Mike ignored him and looked at the rehearsal.

Diana was giggling as she rested her head against Clark's shoulder. Clark, on the other hand, looked like he was going to cry happy tears. Jonathan Kent patted his son's back and soon they were all taking their positions again. Mike's phone rang just then. He silenced it and left the room to take the call. It was Eric telling him that the house he was purchasing was completely empty except for some furniture that was originally there when Mike sold the place. Stuff that his dad built. Stuff that he helped his dad build. Mike thanked his friend and told him that he would fly down to LA after the wedding.

When Mike went back in, he noticed that the rehearsal was over and Clark and Diana stood greeting their guests. Mike found Kara in the corner surrounded by girls her age. The poor girl looked uncomfortable and in need of rescuing. As he approached them, he heard one of the girls say, "So, what was it? He wanted to marry you so you dumped him? Poor Barry. He should have known better. Afraid of commitment."

"Afraid of commitment, you say?" Mike asked, quickly moving towards Kara and slipping his arm around her waist. "I'm pretty sure what we are doing is… committing, right, Kara? Why would she commit to a man she's not in love with?"

"Wait… _you_ are Kara's boyfriend?" the girl asked, shocked.

"Guilty!" Mike gave her his charming trademark smile. "Pretty sure you ladies have better things to do than act like high school bullies with no life whatsoever. Oh wait… is that jealousy I'm sensing? Hmm… has to be!"

"We aren't jealous!" Another girl quickly defended them. "We were worried about Barry."

"The same Barry who left Kara for a job in New York? Sure… whatever makes you sleep at night." Throwing his arm over Kara's shoulder, Mike said, "A little piece of advice, this is a wedding, let's not be a spoilsport. Two people are about to start a beautiful journey together, let's not ruin that. You ladies have a great day. Come on, babe. Let's go."

Mike led Kara towards the door. She was quiet and that was unsettling. "That wasn't too much, was it?" he asked once they were outside.

Kara looked up at him startled when he spoke. "No. It's just… no one has ever defended me like that before."

"Not even Barry?"

"No. Not really. Those were my cousins. They are always like that."

Mike patted her cheek, making her look up at him. "Trust me, I understand. Not everyone is lucky when it comes to siblings or cousin. At least Clark loves you. Remember, Kara, never forget that you aren't answerable to anyone. If they try to make it sound like Barry is the victim here, they clearly don't know you at all. Don't let their words get to you."

Kara gave him a small nod. "Thanks, Mike."

When he was quiet after that, she looked up to see him move closer before pulling her into an embrace. He held her tight and kissed her head. "Stay strong, sweetheart." Saying that, Mike pulled away with a big smile. He then told Kara that he was going to go on a walk. Mike went back in and returned with Winn. Both boys laughing about something. They waved Kara goodbye and walked away.

Kara smiled as she saw Mike walk away. Even though they were pretending, she knew he must have felt something. Why else would he have defended her? Smiling, she turned around to walk back in, only to stop short when she saw Barry in front of her. And the little smile she had faded.

* * *

 **A/N:** Dammit, Mike! That idiot makes my dark heart warm again!

So things between Kara and Barry aren't good. Will they sort it out? And do you think Kara and Mike will get together for real this time? And what about poor Winn... will he ever get over Donna?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter - 40**

"Hi," Barry called as he moved closer. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure." Kara gestured him to walk with her and they headed towards the pool where she sat last night talking to John. She could see John's concerned glance as she left with Barry. She gave him a small smile, assuring him that she was okay. John gave her a smile of his own and turned away to talk to Clark. "So, what's up?" Kara asked as they finally came to stand near the pool bar.

Barry let out a deep sigh before speaking, "Okay, this is going to be very awkward, but I have to do it." He lifted his arm and on the back of his arm was a tattoo. Kara moved closer to read what it was.

It read, _'Kara… I love her.'_

Kara's eyes widened and she stepped back. "What is the meaning of this, Barry?" she demanded, her eyes searching his. _What was she going to get? An excuse?_

"I love you," Barry said softly. Those words which she had heard many times. But then she used to feel like she could return the feeling. Not anymore. "Kara, please. Stop pushing me away! I realized my mistake. Mike is _not_ your boyfriend. You both are doing this to make me jealous. And it's working. I cannot stand seeing you with him anymore!" Barry moved closer just as Kara stepped back. Her foot right at the edge of the pool, but before she could fall back, she felt a hand reach out to grab her arm and pull her closer.

Mike stood there, holding Kara close. Winn was nowhere to be seen. Barry frowned when he saw Mike glare at him. "Back off, Allen. I won't say it twice."

"No, _you_ back off, Michael! I know what you are doing. You're gonna use her and dump her! I _know_ you."

Kara looked up at Mike, stepping away from him a little. She could see that he was angry, and she didn't want to be in the line of fire.

"Seriously? You are the one with jealousy issues! You can't stand seeing Kara happy with another man, so you run along and get a tattoo saying you love her? If you did love her, Bartholomew, you wouldn't have left in the first place!"

"And you just had to take my place, didn't you, Michael? When did this all start again? Last I checked, she was with Bruce Wayne!"

Kara sighed and came to stand in front of Barry. "Barry, listen. What I had with Bruce was nothing serious, okay? I really like Mike. And I want to be with him. Nothing you say will change my mind about him. And Mike, can you please drop the macho act and behave for once? I don't want there to be a pissing contest between the two of you. I love you both and you need to understand that and respect that. If you both won't do that, then please, stay the hell away from me." Saying that, Kara stormed out of the place, leaving Mike sighing loudly and Barry looking desolate.

Once Kara was out of sight, Mike snapped, "I can't believe you got a tattoo for her!"

"And I can't believe you _didn't_ get a tattoo for her," Barry shot back. "You are the boyfriend, aren't you?"

"We still have matching tattoos, which is way better than your—your declaration of love!"

"I'm shocked that we are even related, Michael!"

"Well, last time I checked, you didn't want to be related to me! Black Sheep of the family, remember, Bartholomew?"

Barry huffed and looked away. "I did what was right."

"Sure. Telling your ten-year-old cousin that you will no longer talk to him or be his friend because he's the Black Sheep of the family because others asked you to avoid him at all costs… Okay! Great. Whatever makes you sleep at night, Barry. Whatever makes you live with that guilt!"

Mike turned around to walk away when he heard a whisper, "Who said I'm guilty?"

He didn't bother turning back. He was done with this. Done with his so-called family. If they wanted him to be an outcast that is exactly what he would be.

* * *

It was later that evening when Kara found herself sitting near the shone watching the stars come out. Diana's bachelorette party came to an abrupt end when Diana's father had called asking for his daughter to let him come to the wedding.

Z had told her that he was in Hawaii and all she had to do was ask him to walk her down the aisle and he would be there. Kara could see that Diana was being torn apart. She wanted her father there, but she knew her mother and sister would walk out if she said yes to Z. Donna was already fuming, demanding Z to show up so she could kick him out. Lyta, on the other hand, looked disappointed. She had not been joking when she had said she would walk out if Diana's father showed up. As Martha comforted Diana, Grandma V had lost it and had called Lyta out for being selfish, saying she didn't think about Diana even once as she threatened to walk out of the wedding. This had made Lyta realize what she was doing had been wrong. As they all made up, Kara left. With the earlier drama with Barry and Mike, she wanted to be far away from this one.

As Kara sat there looking a bit lost, she heard someone make their way towards her. If it was Barry, she knew she would run again. But when she looked up, she saw it was Mike, who quickly sat next to her. They didn't speak for a while, just sat there looking at the waves crashing in front of them. Then Kara finally spoke, "Is there a reason why you don't get along with Barry?"

Mike turned to face her. He wanted to be honest with her. Tell her why Barry didn't like him. But Mike knew very well that whatever happened, Barry would always be important to Kara and telling her the truth might just ruin their friendship. So he decided to tell her the other thing that he didn't like talking about.

"He thought I slept with his girlfriend. So I got pissed when he accused me, since he was wrong about her. She was flirty and she found her way to my room that night. Ricky and I were on a road trip, Barry just happened to be on a vacation with his friends. But this girl was interested in me, which obviously meant she wasn't serious about Barry. When I said no to her, she told him that I forced her to sleep with me. And of course Barry believed her, not me."

"What happened after that?"

"Well, I was pissed when he accused me, and we fought. I put him in a hospital."

Kara's eyes widened hearing that. Her breakup with Barry was short-lived because Barry was beaten up by someone. She had rushed to where he was admitted. Barry had apologized to her. Told her he loved her more than life itself, and seeing him in that condition made Kara forgive him and take him back. To know now that Barry was in the hospital because of Mike made her feel uneasy.

"Wait," she spoke. "What was her name?"

Mike scratched his head and shrugged. "I don't know. It's been a while. Damn! I don't remember their names. She was a hot Italian. Brunette. Notorious something…"

Kara grimaced. "Cynthia Notoriano?"

"Dammit! That's right. Chandelier Notorious!"

Kara burst out laughing hearing that. "I call her Noodlehead."

"Chandelier Noodlehead then." Mike gave her one of his heartbreaking smiles. "She was a pain in the ass. I really hope she went back to Italy and she never returns."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you, boo." Kara giggled as Mike made a face before chuckling loudly. "You really didn't sleep with her?"

"Nah! She wasn't my type."

"A hot, Italian brunette wasn't your type?"

Mike gave her a weird look before saying, "I prefer blondes."

Kara blushed and looked away. Blondes… Cat Grant was a blonde too. But… Georgie wasn't one. So why was he with her in the first place?

"Anything else, my lady?"

Kara looked up at him and nodded. "Tell me about your parents."

"You are a curious soul, aren't you?"

"Just tell me."

Mike let out a sigh and gave her a small nod. "Fine. Fine. There's a reason why I'm not in touch with my relatives except for Aunt Nora. My mother, who was Nora's cousin, was vacationing with her friends in LA when she was 18. Let's just say she came from a wealthy family, so when she met my dad, who was just a mechanic, they had a summer romance of sorts… Mom got knocked up. When her father found out, he stopped talking to her. She moved in with Dad. Few months later, I was born, and I think my dad really loved her. They never got married…"

"But they were in love, weren't they?"

"Whatever that means. Whatever they had wasn't enough for my mother. I don't really remember her; she left us a long time ago. So… for my grandfather and his family, I was an illegitimate child. I was never considered a part of their family. But that's okay, I had my dad."

"Do you love your dad a lot?" Kara asked, caressing his shoulder.

"Well, he was a good father. Life wasn't exactly a bed of roses, but my dad taught me how to stay alive."

"What about the scars? It's like you have been hit."

Mike looked down, not sure how to tell her about the embarrassing part of his childhood. He did trust Kara. But it wasn't easy.

Letting out a loud sigh, he finally spoke, "My dad started drinking when I was a teen. Sometimes he used to come home frustrated. And… I was the only one he could take his frustrations on. At first I didn't know what to do. I just prayed that he didn't have anything in his hands and I—" Seeing Kara cover her mouth with her hands stopped Mike. He could see her eyes watering, but she had asked for this. "I don't blame him. Life wasn't easy. He had failed in love, ended up getting saddled with me, his work wasn't easy… So I never blamed my father, I thought it happened to everyone. But things got difficult during gym. My teacher saw the scars and she reported it to the headmistress, who later confronted Dad and threatened to call Child Services. But I knew what would happen if she made that call. They would take me away from my dad and I would be all alone… So I lied to them. I told them I had a habit of getting into fights with kids near my home. That my dad never laid a hand on me. I guess that was my dad's wake up call. He didn't hit me again. If he was angry, we would have a screaming match. But when I was eighteen, he was in a bad place and he raised his hand on me. This time I stopped him. I was old enough to fight back. It all stopped after that…"

"How?" Kara's voice was low, as if his words were still sinking in.

"Because he died."

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sad that Mike is sad. :( What do you think is gonna happen now that Kara knows the truth about his past?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N:** I know it's been one helluva slow burn! But a lot of you wanted a repeat of KarMike from chapter 2, so here you go!

* * *

 **Chapter - 41**

Mike was quiet after that. Awfully quiet. Kara could sense the awkwardness around them. He had told her the truth about his childhood. He was abused and there wasn't anything he could do. Yet he still loved his father. Mike was a mystery; one she was having a hard time unraveling.

As she sat there quietly, she felt Mike get up, making her turn to look up at him. "You're leaving?" she asked quietly. She didn't want him to go. She wanted to talk some more, but the wedding was tomorrow, and they all needed rest.

"Nah!" Mike stretched his arms out. "I found this place earlier. Winn and I went exploring and some girls caught up with us and started hitting on us."

Kara's eyes narrowed hearing that. She stood up and frowned. "What did they say?"

Mike's eyes widened in delight. "You are quite the green-eyed monster, aren't you, Miss Kent?"

"Well, what can I say, Mr. Matthews? You bring out that side in me."

"I like that. Never really had anyone who was jealous for me."

 _Not even Georgie?_ Kara was tempted to ask, but she stopped herself. Mike was telling her a lot about his past and when he was ready, he would tell her about Georgie too.

When Kara saw him walk away, she ran after him and caught up with him soon. "Can I come with you?"

"Sure! Would fingers do?" he asked, wriggling his fingers, grinning mischievously.

Kara's eyes widened, she mock-punched his chest, getting a hearty laugh in return. Mike grabbed her hand and led her outside the hotel's property. Kara didn't ask him where they were going; he would have told her if he wanted her to know. She followed him quietly and when he finally stopped, she raised a single brow.

"Go ahead, look for yourself," he said, letting go of her hand.

Kara walked forward and adjusted her glasses. Right in front of her was a pool. Did Mike really bring her all the way to see a pool? Deciding to take a better look, she moved forward. Her jaw dropped when she noticed it wasn't just any pool, it was a natural one carved right in middle of the large rocks. The rocks covered it leaving just one small gap where waves crashed meeting the cool blue of the pool.

Kara smiled at Mike and decided to go to the corner where the waves crashed. But Mike grabbed her arm and shook his head. "The sea is rough, you'll fall if you go stand in the corner."

"But I wanna goooo…"

"Don't pout! And no, I won't let you. You can swim in the pool though. I checked the depth earlier. Threw in some stones." Mike scratched his chin as he looked at Kara carefully.

She sighed in disappointment. "I'm not really wearing swim appropriate clothes."

"Who said we need clothes?" Saying that and giving her his trademark smirk, Mike removed his t-shirt and threw it down. He quickly took his phone and wallet out and set those aside. And when he removed his shorts, he grinned seeing Kara's cheeks redden as she tried to look away. "Hey! Nothing you haven't seen before. C'mon! Be a sport. Take those clothes off."

"No. No. NO! I am not going to swim with you. That water must be freezing!"

"Scared?" Mike asked with a bored expression. "Or you just need my help to get those clothes off?"

"Mike, you are crazy! I'm not gonna take my clothes off and swim no matter what you say."

"It's called skinny dipping, darling, in case you didn't know. And stop being a spoilsport!"

"I'm not a spoilsport!" Kara said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You are! And look at you, you are pretty comfortable seeing me naked. Anyway, I'm not gonna let you spoil all the fun." Winking at her, Mike jumped into the pool. He resurfaced few seconds later and grinned. "The water isn't really that cold. Come in here!"

Kara looked at him sheepishly before removing the shirt she was wearing. "Turn away!" she yelled when she saw him eye her mischievously. "Go on! Turn away."

Mike lifted his arms up in surrender and turned away, swimming towards where the sea met the pool. When he heard a loud splash, he turned to look at Kara coming up for air. She hugged herself, her teeth chattering. "Liar! It's freezing in here!"

Mike chuckled before he swam around. He gestured for her to come closer. When she swam towards him, he opened his arms wide and pulled her into an embrace. She still had her arms across her chest and it was an awkward hug but his warm hands caressing her back helped her calm down as she pulled her arms away from her chest and hugged him back. When he finally pulled away, he looked at her keenly as he pushed the stray lock of hair from her face. She looked different without her glasses. Younger even. Kara's hands trailed a pattern over his shoulder, slowly moving down towards his chest.

When his eyes fell on her bare chest, he gulped and looked at her face again. Kara threw her arms around his shoulder and crashed her cold lips over his, she moaned when she felt him deepen the kiss and bite her lower lip; his tongue slid into her mouth and massaged hers. Kara tugged on his hair as his hands trailed all the way down to her waist and slowly towards her thighs. He grabbed her and slowly lifted her so she could wrap her legs around him. Mike broke the kiss and nibbled on her shoulder, kissing and sucking on her pulse point on her neck.

The first time they had been together, Kara had seen nothing but lust in his eyes, but today was different. Did Mike love her? Or had nothing really changed since their first time together?

Her back was now against a cold rock. She felt Mike's warm breath fan over her neck and she quickly pulled him back for another fiery kiss. This time she was the one who broke the kiss. "Take me."

Mike looked at her carefully. They were not strangers to each other's bodies. He had memorized it all. Just how beautiful she looked, but he still couldn't look away. "Are you sure? Do you really want this?"

"Hell yeah! I wouldn't be naked here in this freezing water if I didn't bloody want you, stupid!"

Mike laughed as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. She could feel him smile against her lips and before she knew it, he was taking her to heaven and back.

The water around them was cold, but she was getting warmer, hotter even as Mike peppered her cheek and neck with kisses. When he was suddenly pulling out of her, Kara groaned and tried to pull him back closer.

"The water is really freezing!" Mike cried, his teeth chattering a little. "Out. Now."

Kara giggled when she saw him swim away and climb out of the pool. He held his hand out for her to grab. When she stepped out, he was immediately attacking her lips with his, pushing her against the rocks and kissing her fervently. He slowly lowered her down and was on top of her as his fingers moved lower, making Kara moan loudly. Mike was back to kissing her, but when Kara tugged on his hair, he broke the kiss. "Oww! What is wrong with you, woman?!"

"You need to get off me, Mike. Someone will see us! We shouldn't be doing this here!"

Mike ignored her as he went back to kissing her neck and he moved lowered. But Kara didn't want someone walking in on them. She cupped his face and made him look at her. "Listen, take me to your room. I'm not asking you to stop. Just not here."

Mike pondered on that for couple of seconds and soon he was on his feet, hastily putting on his shorts. He placed his phone and wallet in his dry t-shirt and wrapped it up. Kara dressed quickly, deciding to skip her shorts knowing Mike was only going to take them off as soon as they got to the room. He led her towards the hotel, and Kara noticed they didn't go through the beach this time. Mike sure explored a lot.

As soon as they entered his room, he was quickly undressing her and had her against the wall. Kara couldn't help but giggle when she realized how cold he felt, but he still wanted to continue. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she cupped his face and said, "Maybe the bed this time?"

* * *

It was the next morning when Mike opened one lazy eye hearing his phone beep. Kara wasn't in bed and her side felt cold. Groaning, he buried his face in the pillow. Last night was the best night of his life. Whatever feelings he had for Kara, he had been able to show them in the most pleasurable way he could. After taking her against the wall, they fell on the bed, tired. Kara snuggled next to him and he let her sleep. Mike tried to sleep as well but he just couldn't. Soon, bored of playing games on his phone for over an hour, he woke up Kara by trailing soft kisses against her bare arm and back. When she woke up, he took her again.

Mike shifted on the bed; lying on his back he sighed realizing Kara had a weird Cinderella kink – to screw him and run away. That's what she did the last time too. But unlike last time, he saw something on her pillow. Mike sat up and took the paper where she had scrawled a note for him.

 _Dear Mike,_

 _You must be wondering where I ran off again. And no, this is no weird Cinderella thing I have! If you have forgotten already, let me remind you that my big brother is getting married today and I have to be helping Donna and the others with the final arrangements. Come meet me after breakfast, I'll be at the private beach. I had a great time last night, but you know that already. So, let's do it again? Okay, get that stupid grin off your face! :P_

 _XOXO,_

 _Kara_

Mike grinned as he placed the letter on the side table and touched her side of the bed again. It wasn't that cold, so it meant she hadn't left a long time ago. So, Mike jumped out of the bed, pulled on his boxers with haste and ran out of the room, forgetting the key and his phone.

Smiling, he decided to talk to Kara about what happened last night. The question she had asked, of wanting to do it again, he deemed it necessary that he replied in person. But he also knew if he saw her, he would carry her back to his room and f*ck her senselessly. She could be at the beach, but he knew she would probably be having breakfast with her family.

Just as he was about to pass the little garden that led the way to the restaurant, he heard voices behind the large bushes. Mike stopped short, listening to the familiar voices. Kara… and _Barry_? Deciding to see what was going on, he moved towards the end and peeped over the bushes. They couldn't see him, but he could clearly see Kara's back and Barry cupping her face. Mike's eyes narrowed as he heard Barry say, "I love you, Kara. So much that it hurts. It hurts to see you with Mike. Please, honey, give me one last chance. I love you so much!"

Mike seethed with anger when he heard Kara say, "Barry, liste—" but she was cut off by Barry, who crashed his lips onto hers.

Mike let out a loud sigh in disappointment. He knew this would happen. This was inevitable. He was just an easy f*ck. She loved Barry and this was all an elaborate plan to make Barry jealous and make him win her back. Deciding he had seen enough, Mike stalked off to the reception when he finally realized he had left the key in his room.

As he stood there in his boxers, the other guests looking at him with disapproval and the receptionist eyeing him, he prayed to God for the ground to open up and swallow him.

"Yoo-hoo!" Mike heard a voice behind him. There stood an older lady, her platinum blonde hair cut short, reaching till her shoulders. She lowered her shades and gave him a smirk. And shockingly, she looked like the older version of one Kara Kent. "Lost are we, honey?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay! So... they did it again! I might write a M rated version of this chapter and I'll post it in my other book 'Brother Mine' at the very end of the story. I don't know when, but let's see. And who do you think this lady is? And what's gonna happen with KarMike now that Mike witnessed Kara and Barry together?

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter - 42**

"I forgot my key in the room, ma'am," Mike replied, gesturing towards his lack of proper attire.

"Ah! I can see people clearly showing their disapproval, but pay them no heed. Never let anyone judge you by how you look or the way you behave. I'm Violet Warner, by the way."

"Mike Matthews." Mike shook the hand she extended.

"Pleasure. Matthews of the Chicago Matthews?"

"No, I'm from Los Angles actually."

Violet nodded and asked, "Are you a friend of Clark's? Are you here for his wedding?"

"Oh no, I'm not really a friend. I work at the Daily Planet. I'm Donna Prince's friend." Mike gave her a tight smile, not wanting to tell her about his _fake_ relationship with Kara.

"Oh, any friend of Donna's is a friend of mine too." Violet grabbed his arm and all Mike could do was look at her in surprise as they walked arm in arm, Violet leading him outside towards the pool. "Do you have a date for the wedding, Mike?"

Mike closed his eyes and shook his head. No, he was not Kara's boyfriend _or_ her date. "No, ma'am. Not really."

"Oh, please, call me V. And would you like to be my date, Mike?"

Mike couldn't help but smile. This lady was old enough to be his mother or even grandmother, but her friendly yet inquisitive demeanor told him that there was no harm in agreeing. At least he would have someone to dance with. Or if she preferred, gossip about the cousin whom he hated with passion right now.

"I would love to, V," Mike said, offering her a charming smile.

"Then I hope you brought a tux. I'll see you at the wedding. I'll be the one in red." Violent smiled and waved him goodbye and walked away to the bar to get a drink.

* * *

Mike headed back to the reception to collect the key. He got a text from Winn asking him if he was up and wanted to grab breakfast with him. He wanted some advice too. Donna had seen him flirting with one of the wedding guests and she was no longer speaking to him. Instead of replying to the text, Mike threw his phone on the bed and went to take a shower. When he returned, he quickly opened his computer and began working on something.

He had missed breakfast and it was already noon when Winn came looking for him.

"Dude! I thought you overslept or something! What have you been doing here all morning?"

Mike sighed and looked up at Winn. "Had some important work to take care of, buddy. What's up?"

"Well, you missed breakfast and you missed Donna's angry looks. And Kara was asking about you. You okay? You don't look great. Did you get any sleep last night?" Winn asked in concern, moving closer to see dark circles under Mike's eyes.

"I'm fine. When do we have to get ready?"

"Well, the wedding is at 5PM sharp, so we gotta be there by 3 or Kara will kill us both… since Donna is mad at me right now and won't do the killing herself."

"You really need to stop being afraid of Donna. She's mad, okay? She's jealous. That's totally normal. Just try not to pay too much attention to it and you are cool!" Mike patted Winn's shoulder. "Come on, let's head outside and grab some lunch. I'm starving."

Winn nodded and led the way out and waited for Mike, who was quickly grabbing his phone, wallet and the key. They headed out of the hotel for that afternoon. Winn decided not to inform Kara and Donna because he knew they were really busy.

The boys hung out after lunch, talking about work and other stuff, but Mike expertly evaded all the questions Winn asked about Kara and his relationship with her. He also didn't feel like telling Winn about what he saw this morning. All Mike knew was once they got back to Seattle, he would focus on work and keep his distance.

After returning to the hotel, they went to get ready for the wedding. Mike took another cold shower and quickly got dressed and joined Winn outside. They headed towards the lawn near the beach where the guests were waiting before heading to the beach for the actual wedding. The wedding reception was going to take place at this lawn, and Mike could already see it being expertly decorated with fairy lights and flowers.

As Mike stood waiting for his date to arrive, he saw Kara walking towards him. And she was a sight for sore eyes! Kara wore a long, sleeveless, jade dress with a lace top. Her hair was tied in a messy braid held by a long yet delicate floral pin. She was talking to someone, pointing at the altar and laughing. Then she finally excused herself and made her way towards him.

Kara beamed as she looked at Mike. "Hi! Don't you look dashing!"

Mike gave her a small nod. "Thanks," he muttered.

Kara waited for him to say something more. Mike was shifting on his feet, looking a bit uncomfortable, looking at Barry, who stood talking to some of the other guests. That's when she realized what was happening. The engagement party… No one wanted a repeat of that. She placed her hand on his shoulder and spoke softly, "Why don't you keep some distance from Barry this evening? After the engagement party, I don't think Clark would be too—"

"Maybe I shouldn't have come here," Mike said, rolling his eyes, moving away from his touch. "And I'm sure you have better things to do than waste your time talking to me. I'll go keep… someone company."

"I can spare a few minutes for you, you know." Kara bit her lower lip before giving him a heartbreaking smile. When she saw Donna gesturing towards her, she sighed and said, "Looks like break's over. I'll see you soon." Kara leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on his cheek and then she hurried off to where Donna was waiting.

Seeing as how everyone was busy and he didn't have anything better to do, Mike pulled his camera out from the bag he was carrying and started clicking pictures. Seeing him take pictures, people started posing. Especially Winn. And soon, this wedding wasn't so bad.

Soon it was time for the ceremony to begin. Clark looked the happiest despite some nervousness on his face. Violet had found Mike. Winn simply pulled Mike away and told him to be careful since V was husband hunting again. Grandpa Mark was here, sitting in the other end of the row looking at Grandma V desolately.

They had all been waiting patiently for the bride, but she never came. Clark was growing nervous and he kept asking Hal what was wrong.

Mike grabbed Winn's arm and whispered, "Maybe we should head back to the hotel and check out what's wrong."

"Yeah, we probably should." Winn and Mike got up and hurried towards the hotel. As they headed towards Diana's room, they heard a loud crashing noise coming from inside. Kara stood outside with Bruce Wayne, and she looked terrified. And what's worse? Bruce Wayne was comforting her.

"Kara, what's wrong?" Winn asked, running towards her.

"He's here, Winn. Z is here and they are all arguing and Donna is pissed off!"

"I would suggest we all wait here," Bruce spoke. "It's clearly a family issue and they should sort it out by themselves."

"The hell they would!" Mike snapped. "If you stand here, that wedding is not gonna happen. And Clark is panicking already! So either one of you go in there or I'm going."

Seeing as Winn and Kara were looking at each other, confused, and Bruce went and leaned against the wall, Mike cursed and opened the door and walked right in.

There sat Diana, looking desolate. Helpless even. But she wasn't crying. She was strong. A warrior. Mike knew that all too well. Donna, on the other hand, stood near the window, a broken vase on the floor next to her. She looked furious. On a chair nearby, Miss Prince sat glaring at the man who stood near the bed. He looked a lot like Diana. His greying hair cut short and his piercing blue eyes looked as if a storm was brewing in them.

"I'm guessing you are Diana's father?" Mike asked, offering no pleasantries.

"Who the hell are you?" Z snapped.

"Someone who is f*cking clearing up this mess you all have created!" Mike looked at Z and then at Donna and Lyta. Kara and Winn had just walked in, quickly closing the door behind them. Mike ignored them and looked at Diana. "Do you know Clark is waiting out there, for you? He's nervous. And I think there are hundred thoughts going on in his mind right now. But you know what's the worst? What if you changed your mind? What if you left him at the altar?" Turning to face Diana's parents, he said, "And you two, grow up for the f*ck's sake! You are acting like bloody adolescents! It's your daughter's big day! Can't you put aside whatever problems you have with each other for one evening and just be there for Diana? She deserves that. She deserves to be married to the man she loves. The man who is crazy about her. But no, you are dead set in ruining it all!"

"You know nothing, boy!" Z yelled.

"Oh, shut up, old man. I know enough. I've been spending a lot of time with your younger daughter. And you know what? When she's drunk, all she does is talk about you. She misses you, but she f*cking can't tell you that herself because you deserted them when they needed you the most. And Lyta here raised these two girls beautifully all by herself. She didn't need you then. She doesn't need you now. But maybe, just maybe, _your daughters_ do. They are old enough to take care of themselves, but they will always be your little girls, right? So grow the f*ck up and just be there for your daughter today."

"Mike, listen—" Donna started.

He cut her of by moving towards her and saying, "Not many people are lucky enough to have both their parents, Doe. You have no idea how it feels to wake up every day knowing I will never see my father again. Sure, don't forgive him. But remember one thing, he has come all the way here for your sister. So, don't spoil this day for her."

Donna sobbed and crashed against Mike's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and patted her head. When he saw Diana stand up, he gave her a small smile. _Thank you_ , she mouthed and turned to face her parents.

"Mike is right. It's my big day. And I'm marrying the man I've loved ever since I realized what love was. Clark makes me a better person," Diana said, her eyes watering. "And today is going to be the best day of my life. And I love you both, Mum and Papa. I want you to be there. I want your blessings. But, Papa…"

"Yes, Karthoula Mou."

Diana smiled hearing him call her his little heart. She had always been his little heart, but things had changed and her father had to realize that. "I'm glad you are here, Papa. I'm so happy that I finally have my whole family here, but Papa, I don't want you to walk me down the aisle."

Z froze hearing that. "Why not?"

"Because that right belongs to someone who's been there for me, truly been there. A pillar of strength. A brother who loves me as much as I love Donna. And that's John."

Mike's eyes widening hearing that. Was Clark's best friend John walking Diana down the aisle? But he was at the rehearsal and he didn't notice. That's when Mike remembered the call he attended.

John had been standing near the door watching all this unfold. He smiled and came to hug Diana. "Now, your boy is going crazy! Let's put him out of his misery?"

Diana nodded. She went to hug her parents and then Donna, who stood wiping her tears. But when it was finally time to leave, Diana turned to look at Mike. "Do you believe in Guardian Angels?" When Mike shook his head, she continued, "Looks like Donna just found hers. Thank you for being here." She kissed his cheek and walked away, taking her Dad's hand.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yup! Diana's dad. Zeus! I don't like him, okay? And... that SuperWonder wedding is in the next chapter and guess what I'm posting that right now! Do leave me comments on both chapters if you can, I would love to know what you think.

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter - 43**

Kara was truly surprised by everything that had happened. When Mike told her about his past last night, she realized just how honesty yet heartbroken this man was. He was vulnerable, but he still put on a brave face. But this morning… she had doubted him. Even if it was just for a few hours, she did wonder if what all Mike told her was a lie. And that was all because of the little conversation she had with Barry earlier. Kara closed her eyes and remembered what he had told her.

 _Earlier that morning, Kara woke up in bed next to Mike. She rubbed her drowsy eyes and sat up. When she saw Mike lying on his front, snoring lightly, she couldn't help but smile. Kara leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his head. She then got up and quickly got dressed. Seeing as she didn't want Mike to worry when he woke up, she scribbled him a note and placed it on the pillow next to Mike's. Looking at him one last time, she hurried out of his room._

 _Kara was heading towards her room but when she saw Barry standing near the gardens a little further, she couldn't help but go say hi._

 _"_ _Morning!" Kara said with a bright smile._

 _Barry turned to look at her in surprise. "Kara! I was just going to your room. I wanted to talk."_

 _"_ _Then let's talk."_

 _Barry nodded and began walking, he turned to see if Kara was following him and when she did, he walked into the garden, the large bushes shielding him. Kara was curious and if he had not mistaken, she was glowing. And she was so happy._

 _"_ _So, what did you want to talk about?" Kara asked, tilting her head to one side, looking at him with curiosity._

 _"_ _Mike. I wanted to talk about Mike."_

 _Kara stiffened hearing that. "What about Mike?"_

 _"_ _Kara, did you know he slept with… with my ex?" Barry looked down, embarrassed. He couldn't meet her eyes._

 _"_ _Yeah. I know. He told me. And for the record, he_ didn't _sleep with her. She forced herself on him and when he said no, thanks to the decency he has, she lied to you about him forcing her. She was a liar, Barry. Get over it."_

 _"_ _Okay fine, but did he tell you about his dad?"_

 _Kara crossed her arms across her chest and sighed. "Yes, he did. Barry, please. I don't understand what you are trying to prove."_

 _"_ _Kara, Mike was abused by his father. That man was scary. He had a horrible temper. And when my mom found out he was hitting Mike, she confronted him; but you know what he did? He asked her to stay the hell out of his family matters and stopped Mike from visiting our place. Look, Kara, you might like this guy, but he has some serious baggage. And a whole lot of issues. Did you know Mike's dad was in a gang? He used to beat up people for money!"_

 _"_ _I don't believe you. Mike told me his father was a mechanic."_

 _"_ _Yeah. He used to be. Then he joined a gang, became an alcoholic, started beating up his own son… Kara, all this took a toll on Mike. Did you know Mike and his dad got into a big fight before his father just took off? It was so bad that the neighbors called in the police. And guess what happened next? They found Maxwell Matthews' dead body."_

 _Kara gasped and moved away. But Barry grabbed her arms, pulled her closer. "Kara, Mike is a dangerous guy. They say Maxwell died in an accident. A car accident. And the man didn't even own a car."_

 _"_ _Are you trying to imply that Mike had something to do with that accident? Because if you are, just get away from me, Barry!"_

 _"_ _No, Kare bear, I'm saying that Mike was the prime suspect when they realized it was no accident. The police took him in. Questioned him. But they didn't have enough evidence against him. Kara, this guy fights with his dad and the next day he ends up dead! If Mike was even a little shaken by the stuff that happened to him… he would have wanted to kill the man responsible."_

 _"_ _Barry, no. I know, Mike. He isn't capable of killing anyone. He wouldn't hurt a fly!"_

 _"_ _Really? Is that really true? Have you never seen him lose his temper? You are his girlfriend, right? So I'm guessing you have seen him naked. Have you seen his scars? Don't tell me he's been an angel for as long as you have known him. Because you have known him for months, but I have known him for years!"_

 _Kara looked away. She had seen Mike beat up people. And he had taken out those smugglers all by himself. She had seen his other side, the rage he tried to control. She had also seen his scars. There were too many._

 _"_ _Kara, after his father's death, Mike joined the gang his father was in. It's called 'Hell'. And he was Hell's Mike. Does that ring a bell?" Barry asked, calmly. Kara remembered Mike's Instagram. "He was in a gang, Kara. He also used to beat up people. Just because he stopped doing all that and decided to wear a stupid tie and be a reporter… it doesn't change the man he was. I love you, Kara, and I'm worried about you. Mike is not a good man. He will hurt you. And I can't bear to see that."_

 _"_ _Oh Barry…" Kara sighed. She knew Barry was concerned, but all this was a little hard to believe. Mike was an expert fighter and those skills don't come by sitting behind a computer, but it was still hard to believe._

 _When Barry suddenly cupped her face, Kara's eyes widened. "I love you, Kara. So much that it hurts. It hurts to see you with Mike. Please, honey, give me one last chance. I love you so much!" But before Kara could respond, Barry's lips came crashing onto hers. She tried to push him away, but he wasn't letting go._

 _Unknown to them, Mike had seen that kiss. And he was furious and heartbroken._

"Kara. Kara…" Snapping out of her daze, Kara looked ahead to see Winn waiting for her, holding his hand out for her. Mike was walking down the corridor, his head held low; he hadn't even bothered to wait. Kara joined Winn and they all hurried downstairs.

* * *

True to her word, V stood waiting for Mike, dressed in a beautiful red dress. She smiled when he made his way towards her.

"Hello, dear boy, come along, I saved you a seat," she said, slipping her arm in his.

Mike smiled and led her to their seats. Front row, and he was seated next to Winn, so Mike knew it wasn't going to be that bad. He looked up at Clark and saw him let out a sigh of relief when his eyes fell on Diana who stood on the other side of the aisle. He gave her a bright smile as Canon played.

All this was strangely beautiful. Diana, a half Greek, half English woman, walking down the aisle with an African-American man whom she called her brother, who looked so proud and happy for her. This was heartwarming. Mike had never witnessed a wedding so beautiful, despite all the problems they had to deal with earlier. When Diana finally came to stand next to Clark, Mike could see not just the love but pure devotion on Clark's face. He smiled when Winn whispered that Clark was love struck. Diana reached out to hold Clark's hand and his smile grew wider.

The couple had decided to write down their own vows, which made it even more special. Diana's was simple yet heartfelt. "I stand before you as a woman with no reservations, choosing to spend the rest of my life with a man for whom I have the utmost love and respect. I long to grow with you in mind and in spirit and to live together all the days of our lives. I will love you today, tomorrow and until we die. If there is life after that, I will love you there too."

As beautiful as Diana's words were, the writer in Clark had gone out of his way to write some of the most beautiful words others had ever heard.

"My dearest Diana, you are my favorite person, my lover, and my best friend. I cherish you above all others. Our love has always been unique, because we are unique. Together we make a force that holds the power to stand against any misfortune, our love the likes of which the world has never seen. Down the road, through the deepest woods, in the sun-drenched meadows, and through bitter snowy days, you will always find me by your side. I won't say you stole my heart, for I gave it to you willingly without any hesitations. Though our lives are intertwined now, I promise to support your freedom, to trust and honor you and all your decisions. I give you the best of me, Diana – my heart, my soul, forever."

Mike clicked a picture just as Clark and Diana looked at each other before smiling, ready to exchange the rings. And when they kissed, and they kissed as if the world would stop if they didn't, Donna couldn't help but whoop, Mike and Winn joining as they gave the newlyweds standing ovation. Soon everyone was standing up, applauding for the couple.

Clark took Diana's hand in his hand and kissed her cheek quickly before they were pulled into hugs by their families.

Mike looked up at Kara who was sobbing against Clark's chest and he was kissing her head, telling her everything was fine. She gave him a teary smile and nodded, moving along to greet her sister-in-law. Mike stiffened when he saw Barry congratulating Clark and Diana, standing too close to Kara.

* * *

 **A/N:** Uh-oh! Barry again. This isn't going to end well, is it? I have few pics of this wedding that I'm gonna post on Twitter. If you are following me, you'll know where to look. If not, this is me - samayerswrites. Do you think KarMike will be able to get past this? Let me know!

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter - 44**

V was back at Mike's side, leading him to the lawn where the reception was taking place. The sky was darkening and the lights in the lawn had been turned on. The place was beautifully decorated and V was quickly pulling him towards a table before Kara could find him. Mike didn't complain.

When he saw V wiping a stray tear, Mike asked, "You okay, V?"

"Oh yes, dear, I got something in my eye." She looked up at Clark who was making his way towards the front with Diana. "That boy has come a long way. I remember the day he told me he was in love with his best friend."

"He came to you?" Mike asked, brows knitting lightly.

"Of course, Grandmothers are usually great at giving advices, especially when they have been married for four times."

"Wait, _you_ are Clark's grandmother?" Mike's mouth fell open as realization sunk in. He had seen this lady at the beach talking to Winn. And this was the woman Winn was trying to _save_ him from.

"I don't look like a grandmother, do I?" Grandma V winked at him.

Mike nodded. She did look young. At least young to be Clark's grandmother. He could feel someone's gaze on them, so when he turned, Mike noticed an older man making his way towards them.

"Hello there," he greeted Mike in his rich baritone voice.

"Hello, Sir," Mike greeted back. He then looked at Grandma V who was frowning at the man. "I'm Mike Matthews." Mike held his hand out for the man to shake.

The older man gave him a kind smile and shook his hand. "Mark Schmidt. It's a pleasure to meet you. I see you have been keeping my wife company."

Mike looked at Grandma V who simply rolled her eyes, much like how Kara did. Kara was so much like her grandmother that it was freaky. "Yes, Sir. I should probably head to my table now. I'll see you both later. Save me a dance, V."

The women smiled and nodded, but it quickly fell when her husband sat next to her. "Ex," she said to him. "I'm your ex-wife."

"Not yet, sweetheart." Mark gave her a big smile. "I never signed the papers. And I never will."

Later, Mike was seated next to Kara. Why was he even surprised? Donna had told him that the table arrangements were both hers and Kara's responsibilities. He cringed when he saw Barry quickly moving Winn's name card and placing his next to Kara's. All Barry did was frown at him.

Kara came to sit in between both of them. Barry offered her a smile, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she leaned down and kissed Mike's temple and sat next to him, holding his hand. Mike could feel Barry's eyes burning into his side when Kara rested her head on Mike's shoulder and smiled happily, listening to Hal's best man's speech.

As the reception continued, Mike felt uneasy, as if he had been doing something very wrong and he knew he was going to regret it. Barry tried talking to Kara during dinner and she had politely replied. Mike could see that she was at ease with his cousin. Maybe the whole fake dating was an elaborate plan to make Barry jealous. It seemed to have work. She had gotten Barry back. And he ended up being just an easy f*ck to Kara. Mike ate very little. His stomach churning at the thought of Kara being in Barry's arms when just yesterday she was in his. This was all a mistake. This was all a very big mistake, and Mike knew he would regret it if he didn't end it now. End it before Kara ended it.

* * *

As soon as the dinner was over and everyone was heading towards the dance floor, Grandma V came to rescue Mike. He could see Kara's face fall when he left with V. Barry didn't miss the opportunity, he quickly asked Kara for a dance.

Grandma V was a good dancer and the slow dance did help Mike to ask her a few questions. "Why isn't your husband your date tonight, V?"

The lady sighed loudly. "He's my ex, Mike. We are getting a divorce."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. He was being a pain in the ass, and I don't want any drama. Certainly not when my oldest grandchild was getting married."

"You said you were married four times. Married for love?"

Grandma V gave him a heartbreaking smile. "Whatever that means," she said, sounding a lot like his dad when he had asked him if he had loved his mom when he was younger. "I was 17 when I met Andrew Clark, yes, my daughter named her son after her father. Andy was a soldier and we had a torrid affair. I was young and we weren't careful. I was five months pregnant when Andy had to leave. And I waited for him to return. All I got was a letter asking me to name our child Martha if it was a daughter, after his mother. If it was a boy, I could call him whatever I wished…"

"So it was a baby girl." Mike smiled and looked at Martha, who was dancing with her husband, laughing at something he was saying.

"Yes, a beautiful baby girl who looked just like my Andy. When she was born, I wrote Andy a letter, asking him when he would return. He did, three months later… but not alive."

Mike's eyes widened hearing that. "I'm so sorry, V. We don't have to talk about this."

"It's fine, dear boy. I don't talk about it much, but I do trust you. Martha never got to know her father, and Andy never met his daughter. With his belongings, they had sent back all the letters I had written to him and one letter, the very last one he had written to me, which he hadn't posted. Andy had asked me to remarry if something bad happened to him. He said I deserved to be loved, that Martha deserved a father's love."

"That's when you met your second husband?"

"Oh! I had known him since I was a child." Grandma V smiled remembering the love of her life. "What I had with Andy… it happened all too soon. Yes, I loved him. But I was not in love with him. I had known a boy when I was little. Michael Warner."

Mike couldn't help but lower his head and smile.

"My name is Violet Alexandra Warner. I could never let go of his name. Michael… the boy who used to pull my ponytail and then one day he cut it off because my hair was too long. I was seven, and I hated him. We went to school together. And I knew Michael always had feelings for me, but it scared me. Being in love was really scary. I was always running away from it, till I met Andy, that is. But when I met Michael again after moving back to my hometown, it was like getting to know him all over again. He was no longer the boy who bullied me, the boy who was secretly in love with me. My Michael was now a responsible young man. He was 20 and I was 19. And he loved Martha as if she was his own daughter. Michael and I started seeing each other and he spent a lot of time at my place, so it wasn't really a surprise when Martha spoke her first word. _Dada_ she had said, looking at Michael. I guess that was all we needed to know Martha loved him too, so we got married."

" _You_ loved him," Mike stated nonchalantly.

"More than life itself." Grandma V nodded. "He was the only father Martha knew and loved. I think she loves Mark too, but it isn't the same. Martha grew up knowing Michael as her father. He dedicated his entire time watching our little girl grow, so much that I wondered if he ever wanted children of his own. He did. And when Martha turned five, we had a son. We named him Michael Warner Jr., he goes by Mike too."

Mike couldn't help but chuckle when Grandma V pointed at a man who was dancing with Kara. He had the same shade of blond hair that Kara had and he looked a little like Clark. It was funny how genetics worked. Kara seemed to be having a great time dancing with her uncle.

"It was just me, Michael, Martha and Mike. Our perfect family. Michael walked Martha down the aisle. He was always protective of her and when she started dating Jonathan during high school, he would constantly worry. My Michael died of cancer five months after Kara was born. He had loved Clark and when Martha told us she was pregnant again, he prayed that he lived long enough to see the baby. And he did. Those last five months of his life, he doted on Kara and also regretted that she would never know him like Clark did. Michael's death took a toll on me. I left home. I just wanted to disappear. So yes, my third husband was a drunken mistake and we were married for all of 46 hours. He was kind enough to leave me alone and never speak of this mistake we made, but people still found out…"

"That must have been crazy." Mike twirled her, and Grandma V couldn't help but laugh.

"As crazy as I was, I guess. It was Jonathan who introduced me to Mark. He was funny and had a great sense of humor. I liked him. But of course, he wasn't my Michael; but Mark was good. And he loved both my kids and my grandchildren too. But for both Martha and Mike, Michael was the only dad they ever knew and loved. He was irreplaceable, my Michael was."

"So I'm guessing Mark was the only grandfather Kara ever knew."

"That is correct. She was two when I married Mark. She was the flower girl at my wedding. This chubby little blonde angel, who called him Grawmpa Marky." Grandma V was now looking at her ex dancing with Kara. He had always loved that kid. And Kara had loved him equally. Kara was also devastated when she found out about their divorce; she refused to talk to V and she was still avoiding her.

"If you loved Mark and if your kids and grandkids love him too, why are you divorcing?" Mike asked seriously, he could see that Mark was a kind, loving man. Did relationships fall apart just like that? Mike's eyes fell on Kara for a fleeting second.

"Let me ask you a question, Mike," Grandma V started. "Have you ever been in love?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, what do you think Mike's answer is? Well, you don't have to wait long to know it, I'm posting the next chapter too. Enjoy! Do leave me a review, I would love to know what you guys think of this chapter and about Grandma V. :)

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter - 45**

 _Well, that was easy_ , Mike thought. "Yes."

"Are you still with this person?"

"No. We broke up few years ago."

"Why? You said you were in love."

Mike shrugged. "I was. I mean, she was great. There was a time when I had no one, except for a friend… and there she was. Kind, understanding yet strict. She didn't take my bullshit. She was also brave enough to tell me to shut up and sit down when I was crossing my line. But she always told me that I was not easy to love… It felt strange, you know? Why wasn't I easy to love? I didn't really ask for anything, I just wanted to belong to somebody."

"And when you realized you couldn't belong to her, you decided to end it," Grandma V said softly. "It's the same for me. I love Michael too much to ever be with another man. I tried. I tried my best with Mark, but I just can't forget the man I love."

"So you want to leave a man who loves _you_? Not everyone is as lucky as you, V. Not everyone meets someone who loves _them_. And as for loving someone who is no longer alive, it's normal, I know. I love my dad, but I know he's not coming back." Mike stopped dancing and placed his hands on Grandma V's shoulders. "You are still living in the past when everyone else around you has moved on, V. You tried to move on, that's why you married Mark. But now you feel guilty that you did. Let me tell you something, I don't know your Michael, but he sounds like a cool guy and I would have loved to meet him. I feel that Michael would have wanted you to move on. Just like Andrew did. You didn't feel guilty when you were with Michael, because you knew that's exactly what Andrew wanted. But trust me, Michael would have always wanted you, your kids and all your grandkids to be happy even after he was gone. I see Mark now and I know that he is a loving grandfather. Kara looks happy being around him. Don't you think you should give Mark one chance? Just one before you decide to end it? I know how it feels to be difficult to be loved. It's not a pleasant feeling. And I'm sure Mark is not difficult to love, so give him one chance. If you still don't want him, just know I'll be your date to whatever event you go to."

Seeing Mike's confident smile, Grandma V gave him a small nod. "I think I should talk to Mark." She turned to look at the man, who stopped dancing with Kara when his eyes met hers, he smiled at Grandma V, a charming smile that reminded her that Mike was right, Mark wasn't difficult to love. Grandma V returned his smile and turned to face Mike again. "If you are single, I think you should date my granddaughter. The two of you would make a lovely pair. And I can already imagine how adorable your kids would look!" Grandma V kissed both his reddening cheeks and went to her husband, who happily took her in his arms.

Kara was so happy to see her grandparents together again that she hugged them both and then ran to give Mike a hug. He was taken by surprise when she jumped on him, but caught her before she fell.

"I don't know what you said to my grandmother, but it looks like that divorce isn't happening and you have no idea how happy I am, Mike!" Kara pulled away from the hug and kissed him before he could speak. As she cupped his face to deepen the kiss, Mike moved away.

"Sorry, I… I just…" Mike didn't know what to say to her, so all he did was turn and walk away.

Kara stood staring at his retreating back in shock. What had just happened? Why was Mike suddenly acting like this? She was about to go after him when she was stopped by Clark, who wanted to dance with her. Of course she couldn't say no to her brother. She was distracted and Clark could see it, so he let her go after placing a soft kiss on her head and telling her not to worry too much before he walked away to join his lovely bride.

* * *

Kara had searched the lawn for Mike and when Winn told her that he saw Mike walking towards the beach last, as he was dancing with Donna, Kara thanked her best friend and removed her heels before carrying them as she ran on the warm sand. She spotted him exactly where they were sitting last night and let out a sigh in relief.

"Mike," Kara called as she moved towards him. He stood looking at the waves. She went to stand next to him to see the first two buttons of his white shirt open, the tie hanging loose around his neck. He drank from a beer bottle and didn't even bother looking at her. When she touched his arm, he moved away and turned to face her with a frown.

"What the f*ck do you want now?"

Kara flinched hearing his harsh voice. "Mike, what's going on? Why are you behaving like this? Did I do something wrong?"

Mike scoffed. "Did I do something wrong she asks. Did _you_ do something wrong? Oh no, Your Highness, you are never wrong. We, the mortals, just aren't good enough for you!"

"Mike, stop this," Kara begged him. "You're scaring me."

"Listen, do yourself a favor and go back to that party, your boyfriend must be going nuts trying to find you." Mike took another swig of beer and looked away.

"My boyfriend?" Kara asked, her voice low. She was hurt, he could tell that much. "What are you talking about? Mike, I was with you last night and it was truly the best night of my life. I think I like you and I want to be with you. And I—"

Mike cut her off by letting out a cold chuckle. "Are you always like this? Or is this an act specially reserved for me? You are no innocent, Kara Kent. You sleep with me, whisper sweet nothings all night and the next morning I find you in your boyfriend's arms, kissing him. Wow! Now, I wonder who you were cheating on – me or Bartholomew?"

"Barry is _not_ my boyfriend," Kara whispered, hurt. "And what you saw… you probably didn't see me push him away! He told me stuff about you, Mike. That you were the prime suspect in your father's murd—accident!"

"I was. So what?" Mike challenged, looking furious.

"I didn't believe him! I know you wouldn't kill your father. I trust you. Barry also said you were in a gang, and I didn't believe that too." Kara was looking down, struggling to keep her tears from falling.

"Look at me when you are talking. My eyes are up here." Mike grabbed her arm and shook her, making her look up at him. As tears slid down her cheeks, he spoke, "This was all fake. This is an act. I know you still love him. And I also know that idiot is crazy about you. So, sorry, Miss Kent, I cannot come in the way of two lovers! I'm out. I'm done being your fake boyfriend. I'm done being your friend. And I'm just done with you. Now, go on, run back to that coward boyfriend of yours who cannot face me himself so he tells you about the stuff he thinks that will make me look like the bad guy. And guess what? I don't mind being the bad guy!" The face Kara was seeing now was not the Mike she had come to know for the last few months she had known him. This was the man who beat up those smugglers. This was the man Barry said was in a gang. This was Hell's Mike. The man Mike had vowed to protect her from, but he had failed.

"Yes, I was in a gang. And I don't regret that one bit. So, let's end this act and go back to how our lives were before we met each other. You run along to your boyfriend now and let me be." Mike turned around to walk away, not before stopping short and saying, "Forget everything that has happened between us till now. None of it was worth it anyway. Goodbye, Kara Kent. Have a good life." Mike didn't turn around, he simply waved her goodbye with the empty beer bottle and walked away.

Kara finally fell down on her knees and broke down, when she felt someone wrap their arms around her, she leaned into the embrace. She was sure it was Winn, but when she looked up, it was the face of the man she once loved that she saw. It was Barry Allen. How ironic that she met Mike for the first time when Barry broke up with her, seeking comfort with him. And now when Mike left her, it was Barry who was here to comfort her.

* * *

Mike had not wasted another minute. Dumping the empty beer bottle in the trash, he made his way to his room. He went to freshen up first. His bags were already packed and he had a redeye to catch soon. He was going back to LA. He was going back home. He knew that he never belonged here, as much as he wanted to. Kara was not getting over Barry that easily, and that was a fact. He had texted Winn that he was leaving. He had left Donna a voice message knowing she would be furious when she found out he was gone. He did promise to model for her painting once he returned to Seattle. But now, it was time to go home.

Mike didn't have to wait long to be checked out. He managed to catch a cab fairly easily and was headed to the airport. Coming to this wedding was a mistake. One that he desperately wanted to take back. But he had made so many memories here. The way Winn had enjoyed himself when they got drunk the first night they were here. The way Donna sobbed on his shoulder when he confronted her dad. The way Diana gave him a heartbreaking smile when he managed to bring her parents to senses. The way Clark looked at Diana as he said his vows as if the whole world had stood still for just the two of them. The way Grandma V danced with him, told him about her past that she cherished, and the look on Grandpa Mark's face when he finally got her back. And the way he poured his heart out to Kara, telling her things that only his loved ones knew. The way he had held her in his arms. Something that will never happen again. Mike knew that even though this was a mistake, he was still taking along with him many treasured memories.

He fell asleep on the flight as soon as it took off and only woke up when it was announced that they were landing. He could see LA from the window. He could see his home. And he knew he would be seeing his best friend very soon.

When they landed, he quickly exited and headed to collect his luggage. Mike stepped out into the warm sunlight welcoming him home. And there he stood, his partner in crime, wearing an old Star Wars t-shirt Mike had got for him for his birthday, shorts and a hat, holding onto a small bouquet in hand and a paper bag in the other. Eric waved to him and Mike quickly made his way towards him, dragging his luggage behind him. He had only removed his tie but kept the entire outfit from the wedding.

"Are you coming straight from the wedding?" Ricky asked, eyeing his friend strangely. It wasn't often that he got to see his best friend in a suit.

"Wow! Aren't you perspective? Why else would I wear a suit, dumbass?!"

"Well, you could have been at a funeral for all that I know, jerk!" Ricky shot back. "Then again, who would invite _you_? Remember the time you got drunk at our old headmaster's funeral and listed out the names of all the teachers he tried to bang? That was funny! We didn't even get to drink wine!"

Mike nodded. "They kicked us out, I remember. What's with the paper bag and flowers? Don't tell me you are all mushy because of my return!"

Ricky scoffed. "Ha! You wish. I brought you a sandwich and these flowers aren't for you… I thought you would want to stop by on the way back home and say hi to him?"

And that's when Mike realized just how much he had missed this guy. Dropping him bags, he flung himself at Ricky, throwing his arms around him and hugging him tightly. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

Ricky could hear Mike sniff, wiping away his tears. "Now look who's going all mushy?" He hugged him back, his own tears betraying him. When Mike pulled back, Ricky patted his cheek and said, "Welcome home, bro."

Mike gave him a weak nod and tried to smile despite crying earlier. "I'm home."

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh my! You didn't expect that, did you? Sorry! But what can I do? It's the plot line. And this was planned months ago. BUT I promise, in Book 2, Kara will try her very best to make that idiot Mike realize he's being stupid pushing her away. How did you like the last part with Ricky? You'll be seeing more of him in Book 2. I really hope you enjoyed this story. I would love to know what you think. Your comments and reviews make this author very happy. :) So, do leave me one?

I'm not sure when I'll be posting Book 2. But there's a new story starting, it's Karamel. **Star Crossed.** Kara Zor-El of Krypton meets Prince Mon-El Gand during a trip to Daxam. Let's just say she has zero experience in stuff that the Prince likes the most. But hey! He's willing to be a teacher when it comes to seeking pleasure. ;) The story is rated M. I will post the first chapter next Sunday. One SC (Star Crossed) replaces the other SC (Super Complicated).

* * *

If you're a fan of Kai Parker, I'm writing an AU where Kai is Mon-El's twin. It's called **Brother Mine**. Do check it out if you like Kai and let me know what you think.

I just want to thank everyone who has been reading this story since the beginning and also those who started in middle. :) I love reading all your comments and reviews. And I'm kinda sad that Book 1 ended today. But I feel you guys are going to love Star Crossed! So thank you once again.

* * *

 **Review and Comments are much appreciated!**

 **And don't fo** **rget to click those little 'Favorite' and 'Follow' buttons. You will get a notification whenever the story is updated**


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